


summer school

by belivaird_st



Category: Carol (2015), The Price of Salt - Patricia Highsmith
Genre: F/F, Family Fluff, Gen, Modern Era, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Motherhood, Summer School
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2018-09-17
Packaged: 2019-05-29 13:44:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 33
Words: 29,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15074402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/belivaird_st/pseuds/belivaird_st
Summary: In the present, a modern, newly divorced, Carol Aird, has enrolled her nine-year-old daughter to go to summer school for three weeks.





	1. Summer School Bus

**Author's Note:**

> I can relate to this story since I had my fair share of going to summer school during my elementary and middle school years. Just telling you from the experience that it sucked. I never liked it. I had missed out on some really fun, summer camp field trips because of it...

The Airds’ Home  
Summer, 2018

"You’re going, end of story."

” _Nooo._ ”

Carol stuck her hands underneath the pink _Shopkins_ twin size bed and lifted up the mattress finding nothing but the wooden slats that held the weight together. “Help me find your Elsa doll before the bus gets here."

Nine-year-old, Rindy Aird, released a couple of whines of protest before looking again for her favorite missing Barbie doll - Elsa - from Disney's 2013 animation film _“Frozen”._ She yanked her closet door open for the third time in a row and searched through her dirty pile of clothes. Her mother pulled her head out from peering underneath the bed looking equally defeated and upset.

"Your room needs to be cleaned out the minute you get back from class today, Dorinda. This mess is unacceptable. It's no wonder why you can't find your Elsa."

"Just help me look for her, Mom," Rindy huffed aloud.

The faint blares of a horn were coming through the closed window sill directly from outside. The mini yellow school bus had arrive and was ready to pick up Rindy.

"That's the bus," Carol said, picking herself up off the floor.

"I don’t want to go," Rindy whined. “We never found Elsa!”

"I'm sure she's around here, somewhere, sweetheart," Carol reassured. "I will keep looking for her. When I do find her, I will make sure she comes to class with you. Okay?" Carol held out her arm for Rindy to follow her downstairs. "Now let’s go grab your backpack before the bus decides to leave without you."

"I hate this dumb summer school," her daughter grumbled, brushing past Carol as she stormed off. 

The bus had been stalling and was parked right outside the Airds' driveway. Carol was steering Rindy out of the house in one hand, and carried her glittery purple backpack in the other. The mechanical, rectangular bus doors unfolded automatically the second Carol and Rindy stood in front of them. Carol handed Rindy over her backpack and pulled her in for a hug. Rindy fell limp against her mother's hold and started to cry.

“It's only four hours. Don't worry," Carol coaxed, patting her daughter's back. "I will pick you up later."

"I want Elsa," Rindy sobbed.

"I will go find her, Bugaboo," Carol kissed Rindy on the cheek before letting go; gently swatting her on the bottom. "Have fun and go learn something. I want you to eat those celery sticks before the cookies I packed inside your lunchbox..."

Rindy sniffled and nodded. She climbed up the blocky, metal steps, moving down the aisle before plopping herself down on an empty brown vinyl seat with her backpack pressing up against her from behind.

The bus driver began to move forward with the doors folding and closing back shut. Through the dirty, fingerprinted windows, Rindy could see her mother waving back to her, getting smaller and smaller, with tears in her eyes.


	2. Miss Belivet

"I'm going to give you a notebook for the entire three weeks you’re in here," spoke up Miss Belivet, the summer school teacher, who began passing a stack of solid, paper-lined **Mead** notebooks over to the seven students she had sitting in her classroom. When she got to Rindy and some other girl's table, she handed them each a red and yellow. Rindy got the red one. The other girl wanted red, too.

"Miss B, can I have a red one? I hate yellow," the girl named, Jessica Harding, spoke up. 

"That was my only red," Miss Belivet replied. "I've got two green ones, a black, and a blue."

"I'll take blue!" Jessica chirped. She handed back the yellow notebook to trade in with the royal blue. Rindy picked up a No. 2 pencil from the small pile in front of her table desk. She wrote her name and the date on the upper right side corner of the first page.

"What do we write in these?" Cooper O'Dell asked, flipping his black notebook wide open with displeasure. 

"Anything you want," Miss Belivet replied. "I could give you some writing prompts on the board if you have trouble begining."

"I'll write 'summer school is for dumb, demented kids'!" Cooper exclaimed.

Rindy watched the teacher and waited for her reaction. Miss B simply shrugged her shoulders and responded, "If that's what you want to write, Cooper, you may go ahead and do that."

"Ha, ha! Yeah!”

"Knock, knock," spoken a low, all-too familiar voice near the classroom doorway. It was Carol Aird, carrying the Elsa doll, all dressed up in her silvery blue dress.

Rindy gasped excitedly, but remained sitting in her seat. Her mother's eyes skimmed the children in the room until they locked and laid upon hers. Carol smiled and waved the Elsa doll in the air: _I found Her! I found Elsa!_

"Can I help you? Are you here for...?" Miss Belivet's voice fell as soon as she took notice the exchange between Carol and Rindy.

"Mom, you found Elsa! Where was she?" Rindy asked.

"Half-buried under the box of dryer sheets on top of the washer machine," Carol said, chuckling. She blushed the moment she witnessed Miss Belivet glaring at her. "Hi, I'm Rindy's mother, Carol. I’m here to drop off Elsa."

"I don’t allow toys in my classroom, Mrs. Aird," Miss Belivet said, flatly. “They cause a distraction."

"Elsa won't distract me," Rindy argued back. "She wants to come learn, too!"

"She's the Good Sister in the movie, trust me," Carol agreed.

"Doesn't she turn everything into ice?" Miss Belivet questioned, thinking back to the Disney film. She shook her head for joining the discussion. "Whatever. Elsa can stay."

Rindy clapped happily and bounced in her seat the minute Carol walked over with the the Disney doll character. She positioned Elsa to sit down next to Rindy's lined-paper notebook before wrapping her arms around her daughter's shoulders to give her a few kisses on the head. Then Carol had let go and waved everyone goodbye as she was leaving with Miss Belivet's green eyes trailing the back of her.


	3. Summer Work, Summer Break

Miss Belivet stood quietly as she watched each student write inside their brand new notebooks. Xavier Velasquez and Cooper O’Dell, however, kept whispering while ripping strips of lined paper with their fingers. Others like, Jessica Harding, Rindy Aird, and Jared Foley, were in deep focus on their writing, filling pages with their thoughts, ideas, and dreams. 

“Boys, stop talking and write something down,” Miss Belivet spoke harshly. “You’ve got fifteen minutes left, so be quiet for those who are trying to concentrate.”

“When’s snack time, Miss B? I’m hungry,” Cooper whined.

“We eat the same time during our recess break, which is not for another thirty-five minutes...”

Cooper dipped his head back.

Rindy paused from writing and held her pencil up in mid-air to reread her first journal entry:

_Mom found Elsa for me today. She wants me to clean my room after summer school, witch I don’t think is fair, beacuse I don’t think it’s messy at all. Miss B has given me this journell to write in. She’s nice, but strick. Cooper hates her. Well I hate him. He’s rely anoying boy._

“Alright everybody, close up your notebooks. We’re going to do some math,” Miss Belivet explained, walking around her desk to pull out a large math book and photocopy packets of math sheets. The children looked at her as if she had just told them they were all about to get a root canal. Smirking, she passed them each a math packet before walking back to her desk in a pair of red plaid Birkenstock shoes. 

Rindy stared down at the packet and found out that the first section had some multiplication problems and division. Jessica Harding raised her hand beside her at their desk table.

“Yes, Jessica?” Miss Belivet said.

“Do we get any calculators?” 

“I want to see how well you do without one. If you’re having a hard time, I’ll pass them out.”

“Great,” Jessica muttered under her breath. 

Rindy studied the first equation:

**1\. 7x6=**

She knows that 7 times 5 is 35. Adding seven more would make 42. _Seven times six is forty-two!_

“I don’t know this one yet, Miss B,” Xavier declared. He pointed down at a division problem while Miss Belivet got up from her desk to move towards his table he shared with Cooper O’Dell.

Rindy filled the first problem before going to the second:

**1\. 7x6=42 2. 9x4=**

Well, 9 times 2 was 18. She knows that. For 3, it was 27. Then adding another 9 to 27 would come out to 36.

Rindy quickly filled out her answer to now make her packet look like:

**1\. 7x6=42 2. 9x4=36**

Thirty-five minutes later, the elementary school bell rang just like it did on a regular school day. Miss Belivet allowed the children to go outside with their lunchboxes once she collected their math packets. She had the door shut behind her on her way out and stopped at the vending machine to pick out a soda and bag of chips. She had left her egg salad sandwich back home.

Jessica wanted Rindy to sit with her and this other girl, Isobelle, on the woodchips next to the tire swing. Rindy laid Elsa down on the center of their circle before unzipping her purple lunchbox. She pulled out her peanut butter & jelly sandwich along with her baggie of celery sticks, cheddar cheese crackers and the two chocolate chip cookies her mother made for her last night. 

“Can I see your Elsa doll?” Isobelle McGilly asked her. She was a shy girl with a bowl cut of brown hair and wore plastic blue frame glasses that made her hazel eyes all buggy and huge.

“My sister has the same Elsa. I’ve got Anna,” Jessica said, trying to rip open a bag of FruitSnack gummies with her teeth. Cherries, grapes, and slices of oranges spilled everywhere on her lap. Jessica giggled as she picked one off her knee and popped it into her mouth.

“I like them both,” Isobelle said. 

“Me too,” Rindy said. 

“You don’t, because you got Elsa,” Jessica informed her. “You can’t like Anna, if you only got Elsa!”

“ _Boys! Get down from there!_ ” Miss Belivet shouted across from the wide, empty courtyard as soon as she saw Cooper and Xavier start climbing on top of the red plastic roof that was part of the playground.

“Miss B sounds mad,” Isobelle said, stroking her hand along Elsa’s yellow-blonde braid. She barely touched her ham sandwich inside her small Tupperware container. 

“She’s always on their case,” Jessica snorted.

“Case of what?” Rindy bit into a watery celery stick she wished was a carrot stick instead.

“I don’t know,” Jessica shrugged. “That’s what my grandma says whenever my mom bugs my dad for coming home late from work, these days...”

“My daddy does that too,” Rindy mumbled. “Before my mom divorced him.”

The girls fell quiet now as they started to watch Miss Belivet march over to the high wooden platform of the playground with a can of diet soda in one hand, keeping her eyes on the giggly boys that were climbing down the plastic red rooftop like a bunch of monkeys.


	4. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing

The children, all sweaty-face and energized from spending time outside in the summer afternoon heat, barreled back inside the classroom with Miss Belivet tagging along. Sliding the wooden block wedge with her shoe, she left the classroom door wide open and peered up at the wall clock above the chalkboard: It was 12:45pm. The students would all get to leave and go home at 2:00pm.

“Who’s ready for the next thing?” Miss Belivet huffed, wiping her sweaty bangs off her forehead as she headed towards her desk to bend over and place a tote bag on top. “I’m going to give you all a copy of a certain book that I’ve read when I was your age. Has anybody ever read the book called, _Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing?_ It’s by Judy Blume.”

“Ooh, ooh! I’ve read it! That’s a funny book!” exclaimed one of the four boys out of the seven students in the classroom, a Korean kid named, Chen Lee. 

“I’ve read it, too,” Isobelle murmured.

“What’s it about?” Jessica asked.

Miss Belivet pulled out one of the old, wrinkled-up paperback copies from her bag to hold it out and show everyone the front cover. “It’s about a nine-year-old kid named Peter, who gets a lot of grief and trouble from his little brother, Fudge.”

“ _Fudge?_ ” Cooper repeated. 

“That’s his nickname. His family calls him, ‘Fudge’,” Miss Belivet explained.

“Weird family,” Cooper muttered.

Xavier snorted up laughing.

Miss Belivet ignored them. “With the remaining time we have left, I’ll read you guys some of it to get us started...” she flipped the book open and cleared her throat before reading out loud in a careful, soft tone of voice:

“ _Chapter One: The Big Winner  
I won Dribble at Jimmy Fargo’s birthday party. All the other guys got to take home goldfish in little plastic bags. I won him because I guessed there were three hundred and forty-eight jellybeans in Mrs. Fargo’s jar. Really, there were four hundred and twenty-three, she told us later. Still, my guess was the closest. “Peter Warren Hatcher is the big winner!” Mrs. Fargo announced..._ ”

Miss Belivet read halfway into the second chapter when it was time to go home. Everybody collected their new notebooks and received their own copy of Judy Blume’s _Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing._

Rindy stashed both her red **Mead** notebook and her paperback novel inside her glittery purple backpack before starting to walk out.

“Rindy - Don’t forget your doll!” Miss Belivet called after her, grabbing the left behind Elsa still seated on the desk table. Rindy’s eyes glowed with joy and grabbed the Disney character.

“Thanks, Miss B!”

“You don’t want to leave her all alone in school, do you?” Miss Belivet grinned.

“No way!” Rindy shook her head. Then she politely took Miss Belivet’s hand in hers and had let the teacher walk her back outside to her mother with all of her belongings. 

“Momm!” Rindy chirped the minute she saw Carol standing by the ironwired fence in front of the Honda Jazz. She watched her mother’s face light up with her arms spreading out. Rindy broke out running with her backpack flying. Miss Belivet stood back and watched the mother and daughter embrace. 

“How was it? Did you have fun? Did you learn anything?” Carol asked her child between kisses on her face. 

“Eight times four is thirty-two!” Rindy declared. She held onto Carol’s tank top stretching the cotton fabric to reveal her sunburnt skin. Miss Belivet could see bits of Mrs. Aird’s beige color bra which quickly made her blink away, feeling her throat tighten up.

“Good job, you’re right!” Carol glanced past her daughter to smile at the young school teacher.

“How was today?”

“Great,” Miss Belivet cleared her voice. “Rindy was wonderful. Elsa gave her no trouble...”

“I told you!” Rindy rolled her eyes. Carol chuckled; readjusting the bright orange top.

“I guess it’s time for us to go home, then.” Carol placed a hand on top of Rindy’s head. “See you tomorrow? Same time? Same place?”

“Uh, yeah. Tomorrow,” Miss Belivet nodded. She smiled as she peered down at Rindy. “I am really looking forward to spend the next three weeks with you, Rindy. You’re a pleasure in class. Remember to read up to Chapter 3!”

“Okay, Miss B! I will! See you tomorrow!” Rindy yelled back to her. She started skipping away to follow Carol out from around the fence where the car was parked. Carol unlocked the backdoors for her daughter to get in. As Rindy started climbing into the black fabric cushion seats, Carol glanced back around to see Miss Belivet already walking across the courtyard towards the front of the school building with her tote bag tucked underneath her arm in place.


	5. Morning Invitations

Rindy shuffled into the kitchen the next morning wearing a red-and-white stripe scoop neckline dress with Elsa’s head poking out from the open top zipper of her backpack. Her mother left her a bowl of _Lucky Charms_ cereal on the table, while she herself, sat across, filling out a small pile of invitation cards with a bottle green fountain pen. 

“Mom, what are you doing?” Rindy asked immediately. “What’s that? What are those?” Removing her bag off her shoulders, the child dropped it on the floor beside her chair and sat herself down at the table. She pulled her cereal bowl closer to pick out her spoon. Carol took a pause from writing with the pen in her hand and gazed up at her daughter, all smiley. 

“These are your invitation cards you’ll be giving out to all your friends in your summer school class,” Carol explained. “They’re for our 4th of July barbecue party this coming Wednesday...”

“I have to invite everybody?” Rindy spoke with her mouth full of milk and marshmallow. In class, she only spoke to Jessica and Isobelle. It’d just be simple and easy for her to only hand them out the barbecue party cards.

“Yes, everybody,” Carol chuckled. “And I think you should invite Miss Belivet, too. I’m sure she would like to come.” The mother laid her pen down to watch her daughter stare miserably at her breakfast, spoon clinking against the green plastic bowl. “What’s the matter, Rin?” 

“There’s a couple of boys I don’t want to invite to the party,” Rindy explained. “Cooper and Xavier are really loud troublemakers.”

“Honey, it wouldn’t be fair if those boys were the only ones in class that didn’t get a card. Think how you’d feel if you were the one left out? I want you to try to get along with every kid your own age, especially the troublemakers. If they decide not to come to the party, that’s okay. Don’t force them. You just want to be nice no matter what.” 

Rindy huffed loudly in her chair and scooped up more marshmallow rainbows and shooting stars with her spoon before slipping it between her mouth. Carol kept smiling at her and began to put all seven invitation cards - including one for Miss B - into their own individual envelopes.

The mini bus arrived approximately 9:45am to pick up Rindy Aird.

Miss Belivet’s summer school class began for the second day at 10:00am, exactly.


	6. Party Cards

Miss Belivet started off with roll call:

"Rindy Aird?"

"Here..."

"Jared Foley?"

"Here."

"Jessica Harding?"

"Here!"

"Chen Lee?"

"Right here, Miss B!"

"Isobelle McGilly..."

"Here?"

"Cooper O'Dell?"

"Heeere!"

"And, Xavier Velasquez..."

"Yup!"

"Perfect. Everybody's here," Miss Belivet murmured, marking off 'P' for 'Present' next to each student's name on the attendance sheet list. As soon as she slipped the list inside a manila envelope for the school’s records, she threw it inside the top desk drawer and closed it shut. "Let's switch things around today and talk about the book. Who can tell me the last name of the couple Mr. Hatcher invites over?"

A few hands shoot up. Miss Belivet picked Jared Foley to answer. "Jared, who are they?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Yarby," Jared answered.

"That is correct," Miss Belivet nodded. "And what's the name of Mr. Yarby's juice company called...? Go ahead, Jessica..."

"Juicy-O!" Jessica chirped.

"What does Mrs. Yarby give Fudge for a present?"

Rindy raised up her hand now.

"Yes, Rindy?"

"She gives him a toy train," Rindy responded.

"Correct," Miss Belivet grinned. "And what does she give Peter that he already owns?"

"Ooh, ooh! I know! Pick me! I can tell you!" Chen exclaimed.

Miss Belivet laughed. "Tell us, Chen..."

"It was a picture dictionary," Chen said, excitedly. "Peter explains in the story that he already got one when he was eight!"

"And then Fudge later shows Mrs. Yarby the old picture dictionary book and gets all upset," Jessica added.

"I'm glad you guys all read last night. Now what shall we work on before recess break? Math, or Writing?"

The children shouted their desires. Most of them wanted to write in their notebooks instead of working on their math packets. Miss Belivet announced for everyone to pull their notebooks out. She explained that the class could either freestyle write or work on the prompt she was about to put on the chalkboard. The young teacher grabbed a piece of chalk and wrote out a helpful idea for the particular students that had writer's block. The writing prompt was:

**_Write about your favorite season and why?_**

"Oh, that's easy," Cooper said. "Summer!"

"Mine's Fall," Jessica spoke up, diligently. 

"Write it down, please," Miss Belivet instructed. "We can share later."

Rindy's favorite season was Winter, like her mother's, but she wasn't going to answer today's prompt. Instead, she wanted to write another journal entry, because she had a lot of stuff going through her mind.

Rindy picked up a fresh new No. 2 pencil from the small pile on her desk table and began her second entry with:

_Mom wants me to give everybody a card for our 4th of July party. I am going to when it’s recess brake. I wish that I could only give Jessica and Isobel a card. They are my friends. Mom wants the whole class to come. Even Miss B. And Cooper. And Xaver. They are going to ruin the party. I love the fireworks._

"Who's ready to share their favorite season?" Miss Belivet spoke up several minutes later, breaking the quietness. "Let's go around the room... Jessica, what’s your favorite season?"

"My favorite season is Fall, because that's the time I get to go apple picking with my grandma and help her make apple crisp with my little sister," Jessica read out loud from inside her royal blue notebook. 

“That sounds really wonderful," Miss Belivet nodded. "Your turn, Rindy. What is your favorite season?"

Rindy shook her head. "I wrote something else down."

"Would you like to share it with the class?"

"No thank you," Rindy mumbled.

"How about Elsa? What's her favorite season?"

"Winter! Duh!" Xavier exclaimed.

"Shh," Miss Belivet went.

"Winter," Rindy repeated. "That's mine and my mom's favorite season, too..."

"Summer's better!" Cooper chirped. 

"All the seasons have their own uniqueness," Miss Belivet informed. "It's now your turn to go next, Isobelle...."

**xxxx**

Rindy was probably the only student that was nervous during her recess break. She brought all seven of the party envelopes outside, along with Elsa and her lunchbox, and gave Jessica and Isobelle each a card at their small circle under a tree on the grass, because the weather was over 90 degrees today, and sitting on the woodchips would’ve been much too hot.

"Ooh, a barbecue," Jessica spoke as soon as she was all done reading Carol's neat, small handwriting inside the card. "I'll come!"

"I will, too," Isobelle said, sipping loudly through a straw of her Strawberry Kiwi flavored CapriSun. 

"My mom wants me to invite everybody, including Miss B," Rindy explained. She glanced over her shoulder to find the summer school teacher eating a sandwich by the ironwired fence, keeping a close eye on the four boys on the playground equipment.

Cooper and Xavier were dangling upside down on the bright yellow jungle gym, while Jared Foley kept spinning Chen Lee around and around on the tire swing. The boys had liked to play instead of eating their lunch during their recess break. And when it would be nearly over, they'd declare that they were hungry and make Miss Belivet feel guilty for starving them and give them an extra five minutes to eat something before going back inside.

"Ew, don't give Chen Lee a card to your party. His family likes to eat cats!" Jessica cried.

"Ewww! Gross!" Isobelle shrieked.

"That's not true," Rindy objected.

"Well, Cooper told me," Jessica shrugged. 

_Oh, then, it must be true._

Rindy found herself walking towards Chen and Jared in her red foam flip-flops, anyway. She gave them each a card - Jared, suspiciously taking the two before passing one over to the bright-pink, bubbly Chen. Rindy hoped that Chen didn’t eat cat. If he did, she would never speak or acknowledge him ever again.

Avoiding Cooper and Xavier, purposely, Rindy headed straight towards Miss Belivet at the fence. The teacher smiled and lowered her plastic-wrapped, tomato-cucumber-mayo sandwich on whole wheat bread, swiping a loose strand of her dark brown hair away from her face. Her eyes peered downwards at the white blank envelope Rindy was holding out.

"This is for you, Miss B," Rindy said. "Would you like to come to my 4th of July party? You're invited..."

"Oh, Rindy," Miss Belivet murmured, taking the envelope. "That is so sweet of you."

"My mom really wants you to come," Rindy added.

Miss Belivet chewed her food slowly to a stop. She swallowed hard and pressed the envelope between her blue plaid blouse. "Of course I will. Thank you, honey."

"You're welcome! Our home address and the time is right inside the card," Rindy informed her. That's when she sprinted across the courtyard with her rubber foam sandals slapping hard on the hot pavement. She was heading directly towards the yellow jungle gym.

Cooper and Xavier fell quiet as soon as they took notice of Rindy standing beneath them under the inside of the metal monkey bar dome, holding up the last two remaining cards.

"You guys are invited to my 4th of July party, if you wanna come," Rindy said. "You don't have to. I'm just being nice..."

"My family's having a party, too, so I can't go," Xavier said, automatically, reaching his hand down through the open gap between four crossed bars, taking one of the two envelopes.

Rindy could feel both Jessica's and Isobelle's eyes staring upon the back of her neck. They were watching her from the tree. With the sun burning down on her, Rindy stood up on her tippy toes just as Cooper knelt over on his hands and knees. He took the card, then dropped it deliberately on the woodchips. Both Xavier and him laughed and laughed until their mockery was too much for the Aird daughter and sent her back running towards the tree where the other two girls were located.


	7. Daddy Harge & Mommy Carol

Wednesday, July 4th 2018

Rindy just laid there, sprawled on her back on her _Shopkins_ bed, with a portable fan blowing cool air around on top of her dresser. Of course she didn't have to wake up early and get dress for the school bus, because today was the 4th of July, a celebrated holiday with no type of educational classes allowed, period. She could hear faint voices that were coming downstairs. It was her parents. Her father was home, asking for a second chance again. Carol's voice turned angry and shrill, saying, _"No more chances, Harge! I’m done! It's over! I'm not going to spend the rest of my morning trying to explain myself to you, because there is no point! It just ends up the same way every time! The talks, or these arguments we have, only make me feel bitter about myself and real sick to my stomach! You have to stop coming here, unannounced-"_

 _“Who bought this fucking house, Carol?! It's my house! My own fucking, goddamn property!"_ Harge screamed. _"If I really wanted to, you'd be the one staying three minutes away from my parents, not me!"_

_“Do you want a 'thank you' from me, Harge? Is that what you want?"_

Rindy quickly snatched her pillow off from underneath her head to bury her face with it.

All the screams and shouts were done and over with by the time she went downstairs into the kitchen, dressed in a royal blue tank top with sprays of glittery fireworks printed on the front of it and a pair of fire hydrant red colored shorts. Her mother was pouring herself a glass of orange juice with a container of Tylenol pills nearby on the counter. Her father looked up from his cellphone and smiled, all wide and big.

"There's my special girl," Harge greeted Rindy, warmly. He set his phone down on the kitchen table the minute Rindy walked straight towards him in his chair to give him a hug and kiss hello. 

"Are you all done fighting, Daddy?" Rindy mumbled against the collar of her father's gray polo shirt, inhaling Harge's spicy aftershave and the mint flavor of his _Crest_ toothpaste.

"Fighting?" Harge chuckled, his chest vibrating against his daughter. "We were not fighting-"

"Rindy heard us, Harge," Carol interrupted him. "The whole neighborhood could."

"Are you ready to go out and grab a doughnut with me? Let's go get some fresh air," Harge ignored Carol as he held Rindy with his arm wrapped loosely around her tiny waist.

"Okay," Rindy sighed, knowing that her mother would not be joining them this morning.

"You can tell me all about your summer school, too," Harge went on, letting her go to stand up from his chair, grabbing his phone off the table.


	8. Swimming

Her father drove them to a small bakery and they each ordered something different: A strawberry filled eclair for Harge, and a confetti sprinkle white glazed doughnut for Rindy. They sat together at a small bristro glass table outside of the bakery shop. Rindy told her father everything about her summer school - the notebooks, the math packets, her teacher and her six classmates. She had even discussed Judy Blume and the summer reading book she was assigned to read for the rest of the two weeks. Her father was only half-listening to her, because he was too absorbed scrolling and texting on his Samsung phone. When he heard ‘barbecue party’ however, his head shot up to look at Rindy sharply. 

“When is this party you’re having?” Harge demanded. 

“Today at six,” Rindy said. “Mom’s inviting Aunt Abby over, Jeanette, Grandpa and Grandma. Some of the kids in my summer school class might show up, too, including my teacher, Miss Belivet...” there was white frosting with globs of red-and-white-and-blue sprinkles all over the tips of her fingers. Rindy sucked four of them clean off before sticking her thumb inside her mouth. 

Harge scowled from hearing the wet noises his daughter was making and quickly passed her over some napkins. The father was pissed now - not with Rindy, but with his ex-wife, Carol. Carol had been trying to keep this 4th of July barbecue party a secret from him, because she didn’t want him there and he wasn’t invited. And now, hearing upon the small detail that both his parents might show up tonight, made him feel so lonely and out of the loop.

Harge cut off a piece of his eclair with a plastic knife and watched chunks of strawberry preserves ooze and spill out onto the white paper bag. Rindy asked him if he was okay?

“I’m fine, sweetheart,” Harge told her. “Daddy’s only in deep thought.”

**xxxx**

Not sure what to do with her after the bakery, Harge drove Rindy to his parents’ house and made the suggestion for her to go swimming in their 6ft built-in pool. Rindy had embraced both her grandparents before running off to grab her solid pink bathing suit that was folded neatly on top of the bed she’d use in the guest room whenever she’d slept over. 

The pool was clear and ready. Rindy draped her Disney’s orange _Moana_ beach towel over one of the wicker made patio deck chairs before walking over barefoot towards the mini diving board her grandfather installed. Rindy thought about her mother and wondered how well she was doing. Last night, Carol had explained to her the party preparations and what time the fireworks would start. She couldn’t wait to see them shooting across the sky. It was not even noon yet, and she was already thinking about the night. Rindy was excited for Jessica, Isobelle, and Miss B, to come over. Her mother was looking forward to meet her friends and see Miss B again.

Rindy now pretended the diving board was her runway stage and walked across with her head held high and shoulders relaxed. On the edge of the board, she peered down at her shadowy reflection in the chlorine water. Sucking her breath in, Rindy plugged up her nose and jumped. 

Her grandmother came out of the house with a metal tray filled with various cubes of cheese and thin stacks of crackers. Watching the splash her granddaughter made, Jennifer carefully set the tray down on top of the metal patio table and briefly held back, waiting for Rindy to resurface. As soon as the child did, gasping for air with her soaking hair drawn over her face; arms waving in circles to stay afloat in the water, Jennifer Aird sighed with relief and hurried back inside to grab the pitcher of iced tea.


	9. The Barbecue Party

_"They’re not coming, Mommy."_

_“Who?”_

_"Cooper and Xavier. I gave them each a card today, and C-Cooper dropped his on the ground on purpose, and then they both started laughing at me," Rindy choked out low, mournful sobs with her head resting on her pillow. Her mother soothed for her to be quiet with her hand cupping the child's hot, sweaty forehead. The portable fan had been switched on and was blowing in the bedroom, but it was nowhere near touching Rindy to cool her off. Carol pressed her lips against her daughter's forehead and kissed her gently._

_"I-I tried being nice! You told me that!" Rindy accused. "What did I do wrong?"_

_"Nothing, baby," Carol coaxed. "You did just fine. The boys were probably scared of you for talking to them in the first place."_

_"Why?" Rindy sniffled. "I'm not scary..."_

_"Not scary, just different. Nine year old boys rarely interact with nine year old girls."_

Carol brought her stub of a cigarette close to her mouth as she was thinking back to last night's moment with Rindy. She stuck the cigarette between her lips and took a long drag. Her best friend, Abby Gerhard, approached her on the porch, carrying two bottled waters in her hands. She set one down in front of Carol on the rectangular glass table below before throwing herself into the white crochet-netted hammock swing that hung from a nailed hook high above the porch ceiling. 

"Hey. Are you still with us, Carol?" Abby broke away Carol's blank-eye stare by waving droplets of spring water on her from the icy, perspiring water bottle. Abby laughed as soon as Carol flinched from getting wet. Then the mother reached for one of the outdoor pillows she was sitting on and threw it directly at Abby. Abby let the pillow bounce off her chest and fall onto the wooden floorboards.

“Of course I am,” Carol insisted.

Abby thought otherwise, but didn’t say another word.

Around 4:00pm that afternoon, Jeanette Harrison arrived and found the two women in the backyard, spreading a checkered tablecloth over a long folding table. Carol brightened with cheer over the sight of seeing her ex-husband’s coworker’s wife come rushing over through the grass with strapped heel sandals and a large pair of dark brown aviator glasses. She kissed and hugged the mother before acknowledging Abby with a smile. Gazing around the empty yard, she spread her arms out, “Where’s the party? Where’s Rindy?”

“Her grandparents will be dropping her off any moment,” Carol explained.

“It’s still early in the day, Jeanette,” Abby smirked.

“Cy would’ve come, too, if he didn’t go out fishing with his Military buddies,” Jeanette snorted. She spotted the grill and the two bags of charcoal. “Is Harge going to grill?”

“Not this year,” Carol answered lightly. 

“ _We_ are...” Abby thumbed herself and Carol.

Jeanette paused and stared at the two friends before dipping her head back bursting out laughing. 

Starting the grill wasn’t really that hard to do. Abby tore open a hot dog packet and laid all twelve of them out on the grill grate, while Carol was having some trouble trying to ignite one of those long neck lighters. Jeanette stood back and watched her, holding a can of Pepsi. She turned her head the moment she heard a car roll up and park to a stop outside the front of the house. 

“I think the Airds are here, Carol,” Jeanette declared.

The faint sounds of car doors opening and slamming closed shut along with the high, soft tone in Rindy’s voice made Carol glance up at her family with the lighter in her hands. The absence of her ex-husband relaxed her with ease. Abby took the lighter from Carol to let her reunite with her daughter. 

“Hi honey,” Carol purred, hugging her daughter carefully to find her skin soft and cool from the swimming pool at her grandparents’ home, and her hair still tangled and wet smelling of chlorine. Rindy shivered against her mother’s hold, back to wearing her summer clothes. She gazed past her mother to see that Abby and Jeanette were the first guests to arrive to the party. 

“Mom,” Rindy heard herself say, “Daddy’s mad at you for not letting him come to the party...”

“Oh, is he?” Carol chuckled. She loosened her grip on her daughter to embrace both her ex-laws.

 _Well, too bad, so sad,_ Carol thought while kissing John Aird’s cold cream scented cheek. _It’s my party, sweetie, and that’s how Mommy likes it. No Daddy means no trouble._

**xxxx**

As the sun was setting more and more with a few testing firework shots going off somewhere a million miles away, more guests were arriving - Rindy’s classmates Jared Foley and Isobelle McGilly arrived around the same time with their parents. Jessica Harding came along next to her mother and five-year-old sister, Kayla. Rindy brought out her hula hoop and _LOL_ dolls to occupy themselves. Jared, the only boy at the party so far, tried spinning the light-up hula hoop around his waist while the girls busily played together. 

Two more guests arrived and parked behind the small row of cars filling up the Airds’ driveway. It was Chen Lee and Cooper O’Dell.

“Cooper!” both Jessica and Isobelle shouted with unison. They secretly liked the loudmouth kid with the coppery hair and brown mischievous eyes. He smiled shyly towards them with his hands in his short pockets, while Chen tagged along behind him, happy to see the sight of Jared hula hooping. 

“Ooh! Hula hoop dee loop! Can I try? Let me try!” Chen exclaimed, running towards the mute, African-American boy that was face palming with shame. 

The grown-ups were huddled in tight circles, smoking cigarettes and holding cans of soda on the lawn. Some had watched Cooper O’Dell, in his **Nike** jersey and _Vans_ sneakers, approach the girls and sat cross-legged on the grass with them. Carol amusingly gazed at the children and saw the fixation and glow the girls were putting on for the O’Dell boy. Even Rindy looked amazed, staring at Cooper like he was Harry Styles, himself.

“I thought you weren’t coming?!” Rindy exclaimed. 

“I made it,” Cooper shrugged. Rindy now closed her mouth shut to watch him pick up one of her _LOL_ dolls before handing it over to little Kayla Harding.


	10. Fireworks

“I think it’s pretty weird to show up at a little girl’s barbecue party,” spoke up Richard, who was Miss B’s long-lasting fiancé. He pulled up the Jeep along the curb across from the Airds’ house, glancing sideways at the young teacher flipping back her medium-length hair that had been cut short months ago. Richard Semco snickered over the fact that Miss B was putting too much time and effort dolly-ing herself up, and for what? Who was she trying to look nice for? 

“It’s not weird,” Miss B murmured next to him in the passenger seat. “I’m Rindy’s teacher. I’ve met her mother...” _Carol. Carol’s her name_. 

Richard rolled his eyes as he watched Miss B yank the car door open and leaped out in her pair of rosa pink ballet flats. She had straightened out the white linen peasant dress skirt she wore with a skinny brown weaved waistbelt and draped her denim cropped jacket over her arms incase the weather decided to drastically change and turn everything freezing cold. Miss B readjusted her plastic light brown floral design headband before taking a deep breath.

“How long is this thing anyway?” Richard asked her from behind the steering wheel.

“The fireworks don’t start until 9, so a little after 11:30, I think,” Miss B explained.

“I’ll pick you up at 11:30, exactly,” Richard told her. He honked his horn at her in farewell before peeling out with his tires screeching off. Richard was going to his own party with people his own age: Dannie McElroy, Phil McElroy, Genevieve Cantrell...

Miss B started crossing the street heading straight towards the Airds’ front door. Without thinking, she stepped on the welcome mat and pressed the doorbell, not realizing everybody was outside in the backyard. 

She waited. There was no answer. 

Miss B pressed the doorbell again to watch the door pull open with Carol, herself, holding onto a paper plate with a charred hamburger. Her eyes widened with a smile to match. 

“Miss Belivet,” Carol gushed, making the young woman blush crimson over the sound of her name. “So glad you’re here!”

“Sorry I’m late,” Miss B mumbled. She eyed Rindy’s mother; loving how her hair was pinned up high and the fact that she was wearing dolphin shorts instead of dress pants like every other mother she met. Carol held the door out wider for the teacher to step inside.

“It’s only dusk now, you’re not late,” Carol said brightly, leading her down the hallway with the burnt burger. “Everybody’s outside. There’s plates on the table and drinks in the cooler. The kids are trying on their glo-stick bracelets!”

 _The kids._ Miss B had been looking forward seeing all of them and wondered which student showed up. Stepping outside next to Carol in the yard, she found small groups of adults eating and drinking. Her students, all except for Xavier, were at the party flinging around their neon green and blue and purple glo-sticks in the air. It was Jessica Harding that spotted her.

“Miss B!” she ran over towards the teacher along with Rindy, Chen, and Isobelle. They all gave her a big hug, making Carol giggle from the sidelines. Grinning, Miss B held onto Chen and Rindy, asking them if they were having fun?

“Yeah! We are!” Rindy chirped.

“I’m the champ at hula hoop!” Chen bragged. “You must come try it, Miss B!”

“Maybe later, honey. Let Miss B grab some food, first,” Carol suggested. 

**xxxx**

“Abby, Jeanette, this is Miss Belivet, Rindy’s summer school teacher,” Carol introduced. She gestured over towards her ex-laws, who both smiled and nodded at her with polite greeting. 

“Belivet,” Jeanette repeated.

“It’s Czech,” Miss B explained.

“And your first name?” Abby asked.

“Therese.” She tapped her nail softly on the silvery tab of her Sunkist.

“Therese, not Theresa?” 

“No.”

“It’s very original,” Carol spoke.

Miss B smiled down at her can of soda before slurping some of it, feeling all eyes on her now. Especially Carol’s.

The fireworks began at 9:03pm. The kids shouted with excitement; peering up at the loud explosive bright sprays of color - red, blue, green, and white. Cooper kept tossing Elsa high in the air to see how far she could reach up and touch a fiery spark, which soon angered Rindy and caused her to hate him all over again.

Some of the fireworks startled a few people like Mrs. Aird, Kayla Harding, and Miss B. She had dropped her ice cream sandwich on her dress during a loud firecracker BOOM which caused Kayla to cry and force her mother to bring her inside.

Abby and Jeanette laughed over the ice cream mess on Miss B’s dress. Upset, she picked herself off the grass and found herself walking inside the house with Carol picking up speed to follow after her.

In the kitchen, Carol found Therese scraping the ice cream off her dress with a napkin. The young teacher blinked towards her direction as soon as she felt the mother’s hands touch her own with the crumpled up tissue.

“You alright?” Carol asked her.

“It’s only ice cream, it’ll come out,” Therese grumbled.

“No, I mean the fireworks. I saw you jump.”

Therese lowered her gaze and felt Carol take a step closer. The two women broke apart the minute Jessica’s mother, Greta Harding, appeared with a sniffling Kayla.

“Those fireworks won’t hurt you,” Greta comforted her youngest daughter, bouncing her from side-to-side. “You're okay, you're okay...” she smiled at Carol, complimenting what a good party she had before saying their goodbyes and leaving the kitchen, ignoring Therese, completely. 

Another crackly sound came and went along with the oohs and ahhs the children were making from the darkening night sky. Carol smiled at Miss B as she threw away the napkin for her in the trash and took her hand in hers.

“Those fireworks won’t hurt you,” Carol mocked Greta’s southern twang, making Miss B smile. “You're okay, you're okay...”

It was only 9:29pm. And Carol was holding Therese Belivet’s hand. And she was going to be okay.


	11. The Uninvited Guest

“ _Okay_... So maybe I’m not the best at grilling...” Carol sighed, leaning forward with both her elbows on top of the kitchen counter to watch Therese’s nose wrinkle up the minute she bit into the crispy, blackened hamburger she had been given from the leftovers outside; including tossed up pieces of Romaine lettuce and mayonnaise squirted on top. She broke down laughing once Therese spat the chewed up pieces of burger back onto the paper plate. 

“This is the worst burger I ever tasted,” she declared.

Carol kept laughing with her shoulders shaking hard and her face turning beet red.

“It’s disgusting,” Therese concluded now, soon laughing along with her. 

“Oh, c’mon! It can’t be _that_ bad!”

“It’s bad, really bad,” Therese giggled.

More fireworks blow up and exploded, causing more jittery cheer and excitement from everyone outside. Carol rested her chin on the heel of her palm, studying Therese closely as she picked up her glass of tap water she had it filled from the sink and took big, thirsty gulps of it.

“So how long have you been a teacher?” Carol said.

“Not very long,” Therese replied, catching a glimpse of Carol’s blue-gray eyes staring at her amusingly, before gazing down, feeling the warmth of her cheeks grow - not from the summer heat, but from something else.

“Is this only a temporary summer teaching job?” Carol questioned.

“No, um, I actually start my first year this Fall,” Therese explained. “Fourth Grade Mathmatics.”

“Really? Could’ve taken you for English,” Carol smirked. “Rindy’s been writing a lot in that red notebook of hers. And she keeps reminding me to quiz her on the chapters she read in that Judy Blume book you gave her.”

“She’s a very special, sweet girl,” Therese smiled. 

“Gets it from her mother, of course,” Carol gushed and batted her eyelashes. Therese grinned and listened to a series of cracklings spurt and pop out, making all of the children cry, “ _Whoaaaa!”_

“We are missing a really good show out there,” Carol said, sliding off the wooden kitchen stool while Therese had done the same and straightened out her dress. “Let’s at least see some of it before it’s all over...”

“Yes,” Therese agreed.

The two women went back outside to the yard and made their way through the darkness, into the sticky damp, cricket-chirping grass. Sitting back down near Abby and Jeanette, Therese picked up her denim jacket and laid it out over her lap. Carol leaned close beside the teacher with her bare arm brushing against hers. Sprays of red, gold, blue, and green lights exploded high above their heads; raining down upon them. They were so pretty, twinkling like fairy lights. 

Few more oohs came around with some of the kids giggling hysterically. 

Therese, gazing up, looked down briefly to see Carol staring at her in the dark. Holding her breath, the teacher could now see that the mother was slowly inching herself closer, eyes falling downwards, mouth slightly parting. Behind them, Abby cleared her throat loud enough to break away the mystic spell that had been casted and mumbled something about ‘Harge’ and ‘Look Up’.

Carol turned her head back around to glance over to see her ex-husband coming towards her, holding a brown paper bag in one hand with the neck of a wine bottle sticking out.

Harge was here. 

And he was drunk.


	12. Mess of A Man

Sitting between Cooper and Jessica, Rindy glanced around to see the silhouette of her father wobble on his two feet. She watched her mother quickly pick herself off the ground with blades of grass stuck on the backs of her calves. Carol stormed over towards Rindy’s father with her hands clenched into fists. She began to raise her voice; shouting again, like she did this morning. A few more heads turned to see Harge Aird and stare at the dreary, drunken sight of him. 

“You’re not suppose to be here. Go home, Harge,” Carol snapped. 

“This is my h-home,” Harge hiccuped. 

“ _Harge, please,_ ” Carol dropped her voice down to a harsh whisper. “I haven’t got the energy to fight with you. Not now. Not here. You’ve had way too much to drink and look utterly exhausted...”

Harge began to laugh at her. His dry, comical laughter had put everyone on edge. His unruly, salt-pepper hair, watery eyes, and staggering stance, made all of his loved ones - his daughter and parents - feel weary and uncomfortable. Carol was now making an effort of taking the bagged bottle of wine away, but failed at the process just as soon as her ex-husband childishly drew his arm back. He did not care that he was becoming the center of attention tonight. He craved an audience and was actually liking every bit of it.

“Is that your Dad?” Cooper asked Rindy beside her.

“Yeah,” Rindy whimpered.

“He’s crazy looking,” Cooper giggled.

“He’s drunk,” Jessica stated.

Rindy fell quiet, barely hearing them or the fireworks go off, for she was watching her parents more so than ever (wishing for her father to leave the party and for her mother to sit back down). Eventually, she saw both her grandfather and Jeanette Harrison start walking towards her parents to separate the upcoming conflict. Jeanette was pulling Carol’s arm back, trying to console her under her breath. Grandpa John Aird was standing over to face the front of Harge with his hands clamped tightly onto his son’s shoulders. Grandpa spoke a few soft words before trying to steer Harge around. Rindy watched her daddy stop and spun his arm around to smack his own father across the face.

Rindy’s grandmother screamed.

Next, it seemed like everything happened all at once, so fast and so quickly. The adults - Abby, Jeanette, her mother - gathered around John Aird to examine a nose bleed, while Miss B hurried over to block the children’s view from seeing more. Carol shouted obscenities towards Harge and pointed a finger for him to go. Abby and Jeanette joined along with her, both outraged and disgusted with him. Grandma Aird was crying. Rindy’s throat tightened up and began to cry, too. She found herself hugging Miss B, who cradled her tenderly in her arms; rocking her over her lap. She had switched sitting positions, so that she made them both face the other direction, away from all the chaos.

**xxxx**

Harge had managed to stumble his way back around the front of the house and into the driveway, where he took Greta Harding’s peace offering to drop him back off to his own duplex apartment. Jeanette decided to leave right after that, along with the five of Rindy’s classmates. Next, it was her grandparents. She had given her grandfather a tearful goodbye the minute she watched him help his wife get into their Chevy with pieces of tissue plugging up his nose. Abby stayed behind to help Carol clean up the yard; throwing away trash and bringing the sodas, the salad bowl, and condiments back inside where they belonged. 

Miss B went upstairs to keep Rindy occupy in her room. She smiled and complimented the girl’s Disney’s _Frozen_ and _Moana_ posters, her stuffed animals, and her small book collection in her pink bookcase. Rindy felt shy of having her teacher in her room, but then she decided that it was not so bad and liked the company.

“Look at my piggy bank jar... I’ve saved a lot so far,” Rindy said, pointing past Miss B over towards the hot pink ceramic piggy jar placed on top of her reading desk table.

Miss B walked towards the jar and grunted the minute she tried picking it up. “This weighs a ton, Rindy.”

“Yeah, I want to go on a trip to Disneyland!” Rindy exclaimed.

“Your mother will take you, I’m sure of it,” Miss B grinned.

“Well, Daddy says he’s going to take me.” Rindy shrugged. She glared down at Elsa in her hands on her bed and scowled. “He was such a drunk tonight! I hate him!”

Surprised by the girl’s choice of words, Miss B set the bank jar back down and peered to study her nails. “I’m sorry you had to see your father like that. It was very inappropriate on his part...”

“He punched Grandpa John,” Rindy scoffed. “He made his nose bleed out!”

Miss B nodded. She felt so much for Rindy right now. Her heart was racing.

“The party was good until Dad messed it all up,” Rindy went on. “My mom’s so mad at him.”

“ _Therese! Your ride’s here!_ ” Carol suddenly shouted from downstairs.

Her ride. That was Richard. Miss B quickly moved to go and give Rindy another hug on the bedspread. The kid even made the Elsa doll kiss her on the cheek.

“Will you be alright, honey?” Miss B asked her.

“Yeah,” Rindy mumbled.

“I will see you next Monday. You have a few days off until then,” Miss B explained. 

“I can’t wait that long!” Rindy cried.

Miss B pulled herself to stand back up and playfully wiggled Elsa’s plastic, slender arm.

“Goodbye, Rindy. Thank you for the party.”

“Bye, Miss B, you’re welcome.”

Her teacher left the bedroom and went back downstairs. Rindy rolled over to lie on her side with Elsa beside her on the mattress. 

Carol stood waiting for Therese by the front porch door with an ashy, bitter expression on her face. Abby was nowhere to be seen. Therese pressed her denim jacket close to her by her arms. Outside across the street, she could see Richard’s stalling, yet running Jeep, with him and a few other guys waiting for her in the leather seats.

“I can’t apologize enough for what happened earlier tonight,” Carol began, voice cracking. “I am so, so embarrassed.”

“Nobody knew he was coming,” Therese murmured. 

“I should have,” Carol answered, letting out a small, frail cry that made Therese pull her in for a hug. Carol held onto the younger woman, letting out a mournful sob that soaked Therese with tear stains all over her linen dress. Richard honked the horn loudly with a few of the guys laughing in the Jeep, breaking the two women apart.

“Thank you for coming to the party, Therese,” Carol sniffled, turning her face away now to wipe her tear-rolling stained cheek.

“I will see you again,” Therese heard herself say. Smiling at each other one last time, the two women drifted apart to join back to their own separate, private lives.


	13. The Mall

“Mom, it fits too tight...”

“What do you mean, ‘too tight’?”

“The button of these jeans hurts my belly!”

“Lemme see. Come out of there and let me take a look at you...”

The navy blue dressing room curtain slid over across to one side with Rindy stepping out in a brand new top and dark pink corduroy pants. Both Carol and Jennifer Aird were sitting on a metal bench outside of the Girls’ Dressing Room at _Old Navy_ in the Mall. There, Carol could see half of her daughter’s belly button spilling beneath the waistband of the pants.

“Oh dear,” Grandma Jennifer murmured. 

“Stop sticking your belly out,” Carol scolded. 

Obeying her mother’s wishes, Rindy sucked her stomach in, but not much. The brass metal button that clasped the pants together was still digging into the girl’s skin making it red. 

“These pants don’t fit me. They're too tight!” Rindy insisted.

“Probably from all the sweets your father’s been giving you,” her grandmother said, amusingly. 

“Or maybe my bugaboo is growing out of her old sizes of clothing,” Carol spoke in full defense.

“What’s a ‘bugaboo’?”

“Me!” Rindy exclaimed. 

“Go back and take those off, honey. We'll get you a bigger size,” Carol said.

Rindy walked backwards into her cubby stall and dragged the curtain back over to cover the view of both her grandmother and mother. 

“I’m telling you, Rindy’s getting wider,” Jennifer whispered. “She’s about to be at that age where she’ll soon need a new training bra...”

Carol snorted and picked up her blue ice Slurpee drink she bought at the Food Court. Rolling the chunks of the blueberry blast flavor slush down her tongue and throat, she sipped some more and growled, “If you’re calling my daughter ‘fat’ Jennifer, I swear on your soul that I will dump this slushie all over those expensive white capri pants you're wearing!”

That got the old woman to shut up. Rindy pushed the curtain back and stepped out again in her regular yellow honeybee dress. Her mother smiled and held the slushie drink out. Rindy took it and sipped out from the plastic straw, soon making her lips turn purple.

They went back out on the sales floor to pick the same pair of corduroys, but in a bigger size. Rindy also got some more animal printed ankle socks for her collection and two quarters for a gum ball at the large vintage gum machine on their way out.

It was Sunday. And the three of them had all been to at least five stores at the shopping center.

“How’s Grandpa John and his nose doing?” Carol politely asked. Earlier, she didn’t want to bring the subject up, and was surprised that Rindy didn’t speak about it either, but the party would come up eventually, and it was rude not to know. 

“John’s fine,” Jennifer sighed. “He’s just not in speaking terms with Harge right now...”

“I don’t blame him,” Carol snorted. Then she watched her daughter bolt ahead, running straight towards Therese Belivet, who was coming out _American Eagle_ with that male partner of hers.


	14. Jessica Harding

_“Miss B!”_

_Her teacher recognized her immediately. The guy she was with, stared back at her, solemnly. He had brown hair and light color eyes. Rindy took Miss B’s hands in hers; swinging them from side-to-side._

_“Hi Rindy, what a pleasant surprise seeing you here. Are you shopping at the mall, too?”_

_“Uh huh...”_

_Miss B gazed up to look at Carol and Mrs. Jennifer Aird coming towards her direction. Her smile stiffened the moment they were close enough within earshot._

_“Therese!” Carol greeted her cheerfully. She took another sip of her melted slushie, taking in the woman’s brown Owl shirt and denim shorts and pair of Merrell sandals. The young man lingering beside her was holding onto several large shopping bags in both of his hands with a sourpuss expression on his face._

_“H-Hello,” Miss B stammered. “This is Richard, my-”_

_“Fiancé,” Richard formally finished off, peering down at all the bags he was carrying. “I would shake hands, but I’m sort of tied up at the moment...”_

_“Ah,” Carol responded back._

_“Are we going to read more of Fudge, Miss B?” Rindy questioned._

_“Yes, tomorrow,” her teacher said._

_Tomorrow._

Today was Monday.

At 1:32pm, Rindy slouched in her chair at the desk table she shared with Jessica and half-listened to Miss B read Chapter 4 of _Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing_ out loud to the class before it was time to go home. In truth, she was distracted by yesterday’s encounter with her teacher at the mall. Rindy kept thinking about Richard. She didn’t know what to make of him, but it seemed as if he didn’t like her or her mother for some reason. Rindy wished that Miss B didn’t have a fiancé like Richard. She wished for her teacher to be single, so she could spend more time coming over again. It was not a good day for her with the weather being so hot, which made her skin all moist and sticky along with beads of sweat forming around her hairline. The other students were not enjoying their time in the classroom either. They were fussy at their seats. Miss B had to stop her lessons throughout the day from the likes of Cooper and Xavier, which eventually got her to the point of kicking them both out of the classroom for being disrespectful and too disruptive. Their punishment did no good to them once they shouted at the top of their lungs and ran down the empty hallways smacking all the metal locks on the lockers with their hands.

When the school bell rang exactly at 2:00pm, Miss B announced for everyone to read chapters 5 & 6 for the next reading quiz. Rindy moved out from her chair, away from her desk table so quickly and so fast, that she had managed to knock Elsa down on the scuffed up tile floor. Jessica bent over and picked the doll up for her.

“My mom’s going on a date tonight. I’ll get to have the whole house to myself!” the girl declared once Rindy took Elsa from her.

“That’s... good,” Rindy answered.

“I have to babysit my sister. Do you want to come over?”

“Yeah, okay.” Rindy slipped the purple straps of her backpack around her shoulders as she followed Jessica Harding out of the classroom, feeling Miss B’s eyes trailing after her. 

Her mother stood at the same spot outside by the fence, smiling her happy-to-see-you smile. Rindy gazed away, feeling embarrassed for some odd reason with Jessica walking next to her. Carol spread her arms out, waiting for the usual routine with her daughter, but instead, Rindy stood back and waited.

“Sweetheart?” Carol blinked at the child with confusion, dropping her arms back down at her sides. Laughing nervously, she walked towards Rindy to pull her in for a hug and kiss hello.

“Hi, Rindy’s mom,” Jessica greeted politely. She carried a shoulder bag with one strap and wore a red Bluetooth headset around her neck that had cost way more than a Disney princess doll. 

“Hi, uh, Jessica, is it?” Carol loosened her grip around Rindy as she eyed the other girl. 

“Yeah, I’m she,” Jessica replied. “Can Rindy come over to my house and help babysit my little sister?”

“Please?” Rindy added, staring up at her mother from underneath her chin.

“I don’t see why not,” Carol said. “Will you girls be alone with Kayla? What about your parents?”

“My dad’s out of town for business. And my mom’s going on a date,” Jessica explained. 

“I don't feel comfortable letting you stay at a place unsupervised, Rinds,” Carol muttered.

“My grandma lives downstairs from us,” Jessica lied. “It’ll just be a couple of hours, Mrs. Aird.”

Carol cringed from hearing her married last name while her daughter was pressing on, begging some more. “Oh, all right. You can hang out with Jessica today. I had dinner sorted out, too, but I guess I’ll just eat over at Abby’s or whatever.”

Rindy jumped up for joy with Jessica grinning along. 

“My mom will be home around 9:30 tonight at the latest, so don’t worry Mrs. Aird. And my house is only five minutes away from here, so Rindy can walk with me,” Jessica informed.

Carol had never let Rindy walk anywhere without her before, but until now, the mother gave in and decided that this Jessica Harding was one, persuasive little girl.

“Is Miss B still inside?” Carol found herself wondering out loud.

“Yeah,” Rindy said, now pulling herself away from her mother as she started making her exit way out of the ironwired fence with Jessica. “Bye, Mom! I’ll see you later!”

“Call my cell if you need anything! Make good choices!” Carol shouted after her.

“We will,” the girls both chorused.

Carol watched them leave the school parking lot onto the crumbly sidewalk before disappearing around the corner. She wanted to go after them and change her mind about the whole thing, but instead she found herself heading straight towards the elementary school building, having the sudden urge to see Miss Therese Belivet again.

The young teacher was standing by her desk, busy packing her up lesson book in her tote bag along with her students’ math packet sheets she still needed to grade. Carol startled her the moment she approached the desk carefully.

“Sorry! Didn’t mean to frighten you,” Carol winced.

“You didn't,” Therese insisted, letting out a shaky breath. “I-I wasn’t expecting anybody here. How are you, Carol?”

“Right as rain,” Carol chuckled. “I’ve just allowed Jessica Harding walk Rindy over to her house.”

Therese raised her brows, thinking, _Is that really such a good idea?_ but she had said nothing, not wanting to judge on Carol’s parental abilities and just kept her thoughts out of it.

“Mrs. Harding is going out on a date tonight,” Carol went on, taking a small stride around the classroom, browsing over at the Atlas World Map and the Garfield & Odie school positivity posters on the walls. “Jessica wanted Rindy to hang out with her today and help babysit the little sister.”

“Jessica’s a bright girl,” Therese slowly began, but stopped when Carol shot her an accusatory look. 

“But is she a _nice_ girl? Is she a good influence on my baby?” Carol questioned.

Therese blinked down at her things, not sure how to answer that. She sensed Carol walking back towards her, peering down.

“Would you like to come over and have dinner with me tonight? If you don’t already have plans, that is. I was going to spend dinner with Abby, but I’m sick of take-out and she hates my shrimp scampi. That’s the dish I’m preparing. I’m really in the mood for it along with the Thai noodles I bought at the market today...” uh oh, she was rambling. Carol closed her mouth shut and found herself shielding her face as if the sun was blinding her.

Therese quickly mumbled out, “I have no plans. I’ll have dinner with you.” Richard wanted to take her out to go see the newest Jurassic Park movie with her tonight, but she had stopped liking the films after the first Chris Pratt movie version came out and didn’t want to go anywhere with him. He had been a jerk in front of her at the mall yesterday and she wanted to repay Carol somehow.


	15. The Liar

Jessica wasn’t lying about her house being five minutes away. Rindy bumped into her by mistake when the other girl stopped walking to stand in front of the Hardings’ pale blue home. Rindy could see a small, round face of Kayla Harding peering out through the mesh screen window. She disappeared; soon replacing a small, wiry Yorkshire Terrier, yipping its head off. 

“That’s our dog, Gypsy,” Jessica said, noticing how nervous and scared Rindy became.

“Ohh,” Rindy responded, but still had a hard time moving along behind Jessica.

Kayla had managed to open the front screen door by the time the older girls got closer and waited on the doormat. _“Gypsy! No barking!”_ the five-year-old shouted just as soon as the dog scurried over on four stubby legs and kept yipping and growling from the unfamiliar sight of Rindy Aird.

Jessica was not scared of the toy dog like Rindy was. She grabbed the door from Kayla and held it slightly open to pass through. “Gypsy, shut up! You be nice to my friend Rindy! Bad girl!” the Yorkie made a nose-dive towards Rindy, sniffing her all over her shorts, attempting to leap up and dig her two front paws on the top of her thighs. 

Gypsy had to cut her nails. 

Wincing, Rindy tried moving the animal off her, but Kayla was laughing until Rindy finally got the help of Jessica by scooping up the squirmy dog in her arms and kissing her between the eyes. 

“Kayla, it’s not funny,” Jessica scolded.

“Yeah it is!” Kayla shot back.

Rindy found new claw marks all over her bare legs. She followed Jessica further inside the house with the screen door slapping shut. The girls and Gypsy ended up in the living room. Jessica, carrying the excited Yorkie, glanced back around to look at her guest. 

“You can drop your stuff anywhere... Where’s Mom, Kay?” Jessica asked.

“Upstairs! Blow drying her hair!” Kayla answered. She took notice of the Elsa doll in Rindy’s bag and ran over to stand in front of her. “Ooh! You like Elsa? I do, too! I’ve got the same doll!”

“I know,” Rindy spoke wearily. She didn’t like how Kayla was all up in her face right now with lots and lots of high energy. She was a bubbly five-year-old, she got that. But it made Rindy wonder: _Did she act just like that, too?_

Jessica sort of drop-landed Gypsy on the diamond-pattern rug to remove her bag and lay it on the plush couch. “Do you know what time Mom’s leaving? Is her date picking her up?”

“I don't know, Jessa,” Kayla whined. “I want a snack!”

“There’s freeze-pops. We can all have one.” Jessica gestured for both Rindy and Kayla to follow her out of the living room and into the kitchen. Gypsy yipped and dashed after them with her sharp nails clicking loudly on the floor.

Rindy gazed around the Hardings’ black onyx and gold furnishings of the kitchen. Their fridge had an ice maker and their sink included a dish washer machine. Instead of having a table, they provided an L-shaped countertop where the microwave and Keurig coffee machine were both located. Rindy hoisted herself to sit on one of the vinyl stools with Kayla begging for her to be picked up. Jessica had to stand up on her tippy toes to open the freezer door and pull out three ice pops - Lime, Orange, and Cherry.

“Which flavor do you want, Rindy?” she asked her new best friend first. 

“Uh, orange,” Rindy answered.

“ _No-oo, I want orange!_ ” Kayla whined.

“Rindy’s our guest,” Jessica said, calmly.

“ _I want orange, Jessa, I want that one!_ ” Kayla cried, pitching a fit.

“Okay, I’ll have the lime,” Rindy spoke up very quickly.

Jessica handed Kayla the orange ice-pop, and then Rindy the lime one. She got cherry, her favorite flavor.

“What’s all the whining about?” spoke up Greta Harding, Jessica and Kayla’s mother, who entered the kitchen with a towel draped around her neck with her thick black mass of hair falling over one side of her face, all curly and damp from her half-hour in the shower. She saw Rindy on the stool and raised her brows, alarmed. “Oh, hello. You’re not Isobelle...” she turned to her oldest daughter. “I thought you were bringing Izzy to help babysit, tonight?”

“Isobelle had to go take her eye exam today. She can’t be here, so I invited Rindy over, instead,” Jessica shrugged. She began to press her thumb and forefinger onto the plastic sleeve of her ice-pop to slip more cherry out.

“Your mother knows you’re here, honey? I don’t have to call her...?” Greta questioned Rindy, sounding like she’d rather yank weeds out of the garden than wanting to call and speak to Carol.

“She knows,” Rindy mumbled. She stuck her plastic popsicle sleeve between her lips and sucked bits of the green lime juice. She watched Gypsy circling around Greta’s feet, yipping and panting to go out.

“Gypsy needs to go out before I leave,” Greta announced, sensing the dog’s antsy behavior. “There’s a letter from Grandma for you, Jessica. The mail man dropped it off. I left it upstairs on your bed...” the mother began to leave the kitchen with both Gypsy and Kayla running at her heels. 

Alone with Jessica now, Rindy stared at her and said, “So your Grandma _doesn’t_ live downstairs from you?”

Without missing a beat, Jessica smirked with plastic in her mouth and muffled out a reply:

“No, she doesn’t.”


	16. Singing & Dancing

The Cranberries’ song _Dreams_ was playing quietly in the background that was coming out of Carol’s Bluetooth speaker:

_“Oh my life is changing everyday_  
_In every possible way..._  
_And oh my dreams_  
_It’s never quite as it seems_  
_Never quite as it seems..._ ” 

“I love this song,” Carol sighed, folding her hands at one end of the dining room table. Dinner had been served. Throughout their meal together (spicy Thai shrimp scampi with garlic bread and red wine), Carol closed her eyes and swayed back and forth in her chair with the music playing along. Her daughter’s summer school teacher had become deeply intrigued and was watching the mother dip her head from the other end. 

_“I know I felt like this before_  
_But now I’m feeling it even more_  
_Because it came from you..._  
_Then I open up and see_  
_The person falling here is me_  
_A different way to be..._ ” 

“It’s a shame what happened to her - the singer, I mean,” Carol spoke on, holding still now, opening her eyes. “She had so much talent. What a voice,” she sighed again as she picked up her knife and fork; busily cutting a shrimp in half before poking it along with bits of fried noodles. Gazing up, she caught Therese’s stare and watched those intensive green eyes blink rapidly back down to her plate.

_“I want more, impossible to ignore_  
_Impossible to ignore_  
_And they’ll come true_  
_Impossible not to do_  
_Possible not to do..._ ” 

“How are you liking the food? The noodles are not too spicy for you?” Carol questioned. The dinner seemed to put Therese on a daze with the music and the candlelight flickering; casting shadows on the walls surrounding them in the rustic-style dining room. 

“It’s wonderful, Carol,” Therese spoke gently with complete, total honesty. The panfried Thai noodles had a spice to them, but just the right amount for her liking. And the shrimp tasted so fresh and watery with the perfect crunch. The garlic bread was soft and buttery that made her reach into the basket more than once. And the wine’s bittersweet flavoring concluded tonight’s dinner with perfection.

“I’m so glad you like it,” Carol gushed, leaning back in her seat. “My cooking’s not so bad like my grilling skills are!”

Therese smiled shyly and broke off a piece of her bread. Carol reached over and picked up her glass of wine, taking a small sip of it. “Mm, I wonder how Rindy’s doing? Was it a mistake on my part for letting her go in the first place?”

“Jessica’s grandma lives downstairs from the Hardings,” Therese spoke after swallowing. “That’s what you said, right? I’m sure Rindy’s having a good time...”

Carol didn’t say anything at first. The Cranberries’ song was over and the speaker was now playing one of Coldplay’s earliest numbers - _Clocks_. Therese stared at Carol across from the table and thought she looked breathtaking in baby blue. Her eyes were drawn away, thinking.

“Maybe I better drop by and check on her? What was I thinking of letting her walk by herself? She’s only nine in this crazy, sick world we live in!” Carol scraped her chair loudly, making Therese jump out of hers. 

“I have the Hardings’ emergency contacts and their home address written inside my attendance book in my tote bag,” Therese found herself explaining to the nervewracking mother. “I keep all my students’ info in the booklet, just in case.”

“Yeah?” Carol brightened over the sound of hearing that. “That’ll be very helpful, Therese - I just want to check to make sure she’s doing okay.”

“Of course,” Therese smiled, watching Carol glance briefly down at their dinner. 

“I’m sorry we have to cut our meal short...”

“I would like to make sure Rindy’s well and safe, too,” Therese replied. In truth, she only had known the smart, curious Jessica, inside her classroom. But what was the little girl actually like outside, after school hours? Therese felt a little wary and concern now for Rindy Aird.

**xxxx**

It was 8:36pm. Greta Harding had been gone more than five hours now. She had left her daughters and Rindy a stack full of DVDs on the coffee table in the living room for them to watch and gave them free access to have whatever they wanted in the fridge. She also remembered to fill Gypsy’s food and water dish and then reminded Jessica to walk her whenever she got whiny and claw the screen door.

Kayla was acting very bratty the entire time of Rindy’s visit - whining for this, crying for that. She screamed for the desire to watch her all-time favorite movie _Paddington 2_ but Jessica had a better idea and wanted to perform a dance routine with Rindy from her iPod’s playlist of songs by artists like her inspired role model: Taylor Swift.

The two girls had each finished off two cups of _Snack Packs_ chocolate pudding along with a 2 liter bottle of CRUSH orange soda. The sugar made them hyper and loud and giggly. Kayla, holding her DVD close to her rainbow-printed onesie, watched the older girls dance on top of the Hardings’ black birchwood coffee table, realizing that _she_ had wanted to join along the fun and dance with them, too. 

Jessica helped her little sister get on top of the table, making her drop the movie on the floor and showed her a bit of dance moves to the song _Blank Space_ by Taylor Swift.

“ _Ain’t it funny, rumors, liiie..._ ” Rindy heard Jessica’s voice belt along with Taylor’s. “ _And I know you heard about me!”_

Rindy didn’t know the words, but she grew to like Taylor Swift, and thought Jessica had a pretty good singing voice.

“ _So hey, let’s be friends! I’m dying to see how this one ends!_ ” her voice cracked and made Rindy laugh and laugh. Jessica now jumped off from the coffee table and fell right onto the couch with Kayla mimicking her by doing the same thing. Rindy jumped and fell on top of the red-face Jessica. She was having such a good time over at her house. She never thought she be having this much fun.


	17. Getting Caught

“Do the Hardings live on one-thirty-fourth Sherry Street, or one-forty-third?” Carol removed her denim cloth shoe off the gas pedal and let the car roll slowly forward. She had both hands on the steering wheel, but then quickly flicked away a loose wavy curl off her face and took a deep, anxious breath. She waited and peered through the Honda’s windshield window at the row of houses lined up outside while Therese, sitting beside the mother in the passenger seat, peered down to look at her attendance sheet.

“One-thirty-fourth,” Therese recited. She glanced up to see house numbers of 128 and 130. “We're almost there, just drive a little bit further...”

“I really appreciate your navigating skills, Miss B,” Carol said, pressing her foot down on the gas pedal again. 

“It’s okay for you to call me ‘Therese’, Carol,” the young woman murmured.

Carol blushed, but she didn’t respond back, because her eyes were now focused on the black wooden numbers of 134 nailed to the side of a pale blue painted house where her daughter was staying. All the window shades were pulled down, but the lights were still on. Carol quickly cut off the engine with her fingers fumbling to unbuckle her seat belt. 

“I could wait in the car...” Therese trailed off. She’d thought it might be a little uncomfortable if two of her students saw her instead of just one. Rindy had liked her well enough for a teacher, but she wasn’t so sure with Jessica. 

Carol agreed on having Therese remain in the car. All she wanted to do was to go to the house and ring the doorbell to see actual living, full-proof of Grandmother Harding’s face behind the porch screen door. If Carol did see an elderly woman, then she would no longer have to fret or worry. She would no longer have to think the worst for her daughter, because Rindy would be safe and sound in the care of Jessica’s grandma...

“Be right back,” Carol told Therese the minute she stepped out of the car and closed the door shut. The summer night air felt like one giant warm blanket hugging tight around her with a serenade of crickets hidden deep beneath the shrubs and bushes. Carol walked up the small granite steps of the Harding’s home and stood in front of the door before rattling the square porch screen with her knuckles.

There was a long pause. Carol listened carefully and could eventually hear faint giggling and shrieking laughter of little girls. 

“Rindy?” Carol spoke her daughter’s name with slight questioning and concern. She rapped the screen door again, letting out a long series of alarming, high barks. _Oh My God, is that a dog?_ Carol didn’t own or allow pets to live with her and Rindy. They were just too big of a responsibility, but there would be times when Rindy came home with a Beta fish. She wanted a kitten or puppy instead, but she almost always ended up having a plain, simple fish. 

The barks became louder the minute Carol spotted the small wiry head of a Yorkie. Another head appeared, which was Jessica’s little sister, Kayla.

“Sweetheart, hi,” Carol greeted between the hysterical yipping. “Remember me? I’m Rindy’s mother... Is your grandma nearby so I can talk to her? I just wanted to check up and see how things were going...”

“Gramma lives by the sea in Rhode Island,” Kayla answered matter-of-fact. “Jessa’s been teaching me how to dance!”

Carol only heard _‘Gramma lives by the sea in Rhode Island’_ coming out of the five-year-old with her throat tightening and heart racing. Ignoring the animal, she found herself pushing her way inside the house with Kayla babbling on and the dog yipping at the backs of her heels. Carol caught a glimpse of long brown hair and more giggling and shrieking laughter coming from the next room. Moving towards the craziness and sheer excitement of the noise, the mother ended up standing in the middle of the doorway of Jessica Harding’s living room, witnessing piles and piles of DVDs toppling underneath the coffee table with greasy snack crumbs from a Family Size bag of Lays potato chips scattered all over the floor and furniture. There was also an empty 2 liter bottle of Crush soda left wedged on the edge of a recliner chair along with half-eaten chocolate pudding plastic cups and sticky empty ice-pop sleeves thrown different directions.

Jessica and Rindy had got themselves into Greta’s makeup bag and were dabbing their faces with liquid eyeliner and eyeshadow. Rindy had been bopping her head along to Carly Rae Jepsen from Jessica’s iPod when she caught sight of her mother. Her head froze along with the mascara wand in her hand.

“Oh, hi Mommy...” Rindy began.

Jessica turned her head around with her cheeks scribbled with sloppy red lipstick hearts. She took notice how upset Carol looked and knew her night with Rindy was pretty much over.

“Grab your things, young lady,” Carol raised her voice loudly and firm. “We are going home right now.” 

**xxxx**

Greta Harding and her date arrived the minute Carol and Rindy made their way out of the pale blue house with the two sisters and dog staying behind inside. Rindy didn’t notice her summer school teacher at first, because she had recognized Mrs. Harding’s date immediately, which turned out to be her father. 

“Carol, heyyy,” Greta spoke like she had just been caught cheating on a geography test. “Did my girls let you in?” she tried to stand in front of Harge, who was wearing a pair of sunglasses in the Mercedes, like he was some cheesy FBI agent. Rindy stared at her father until Carol finally ushered her to move towards their own transportation where Miss B had been patiently waiting inside.

Carol was carrying her daughter’s backpack around one shoulder while she stopped and glared at the pairing of Greta and Harge. She was so angry and pissed off how this night was turning out for her.

“Yeah,” Carol replied. “And you know what else? Your Jessica is a liar, Mrs. Harding. She lies, like you’re doing right now to Adrian...”

“ _Excuse me?_ What did you just say about my daughter? And you leave my husband out of this,” Greta snapped.

“Or what? You’ll sleep with mine?” Carol rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Greta, I don’t give a damn about you or your sex life. And that goes for my ex whose cowering behind you, like the Cowardly Lion he is!” 

Harge shrank lower in his leather seat, not saying a word. Greta took a step toward Carol and spat near her feet.

“You’re trash, Greta,” Carol declared. “Have fun cleaning up the mess left back inside!”

“Get the fuck out of here, Carol,” Greta snarled. “You and that skank bitch of a teacher just drive yourselves far, far away!” 

Carol found herself leaving by getting into her own car. She drove with total, complete silence with both Therese and Rindy having so many emotions running through them all at once.


	18. Settling Down

“Let me help you clear the dining room,” Therese murmured to Carol as soon they got back to the house with the long, dreadful awkward silence still lingering upon them. Stepping aside the hallway to let Rindy pass through, she watched the girl drag her backpack across the carpet floor; stomping both of her feet up the wooden staircase which quickly drove her mother insane.

“Hey Rinds - Please pick up your feet when you’re on the staircase, okay kiddo? And then make sure you go wash your face in the sink before you get ready for bed. I will discuss your night with Jessica after Miss B helps me clear everything and put all the food away,” Carol explained as she held up her sweaty forehead from the July summer heat and all the stress and anxiety that was building up inside of her. Rindy pouted back down to her with her hand on the railing.

“Momma, I didn’t know about Jessica’s grandma,” the daughter protest.

“We will talk about it _after_ I said,” Carol repeated. Then she began to move ahead and disappeared into the kitchen that connected the dining room.

Miss B stayed behind to gaze up at the child, apologetically. 

“You believe in me, right, Miss B?” Rindy asked the teacher softly.

“Of course I do, honey,” Therese whispered back to her and blinked several times once the girl flew up the staircase steps the rest of the way to rinse all of Greta Harding’s makeup off her face in the bathroom.

No matter how hard she tried to wash away the image of her father, Rindy could still see him in the car through her mind; trying to erase the memory by splashing cold sink water with her cupped hands on her dripping wet face. Rindy couldn’t understand why her father had to be the one to take Jessica’s mother on a date when she was still married to Jessica’s dad. Could it mean that her daddy and Mrs. Harding was starting to like each other? Would they go on another date? Would they eventually marry and make her and Jessica sisters? 

Rindy snatched the peach color hand towel hanging from the silver rack on the circuit wall and dried her face. There were no more traces of blue eyeshadow on her, or brown pencil liner lipstick. She left the bathroom to go change into her pajamas in her bedroom - a royal blue set with crescent moons, stars, and puffy night clouds printed all over it. 

Setting her backpack on top of her rollie desk chair, Rindy unzipped and pulled her red notebook out with a pencil falling between her legs. She picked up the pencil and carried her writing journal towards her bed. She opened to a fresh, new page and began to write:

_Jessica invited me over to help babysit her little sister tonite. She told me and Mom that her grandma lived downstarrs from her so Mom wouldn’t hav to wory. It turned out that Jessica lied, beacuse her grandma wasn’t ther at all. Jessica and I had the house with Kayla by ourselfs! Her mom was going on a date. Her date was Daddy! Mom was so mad, but I think she’s more mad at me. She thinks I’m not telling the truth about Jessica’s grandma, but I am. At lest Miss B was there, and belees me. I guess she and Mom had dinner together. That’s funy, beacuse Daddy went to dinner with Mrs. Harding. And I had dinner with Jessica and Kayla. We had chips, ice pops, and choclate pudding! I never ate so much junk food! And Gypsie, the dog-_

Her thoughts on paper were interrupted by her mother, who came into the room with her arms and hands still wet and sudsy from dishsoap. 

“Where’s Miss B?” Rindy asked Carol, closing the Mead notebook shut with the pencil still stuck inside.

“She went home, sweetheart,” Carol answered softly. “It’s late, and she has to get up early tomorrow morning to prepare your class...”

“I didn’t know about Jessica’s grandma,” Rindy mumbled. She scooted herself over underneath her _Shopkins_ bedspread to make room for her mother to sit down.

“That’s not the reason why I’m so upset. I’m so upset for allowing you to help babysit in the first place. Both of you girls were not old enough to be by yourselves with Kayla. The Hardings are not trustworthy people or safe ones for that matter. I think it’d be wise not to hang out with Jessica Harding anymore. Tonight, clearly proves it...”

“Jessica’s my friend!” Rindy shot back. “I had a really fun time at her house!”

“I know you did, but maybe next time you could try hanging out with Isobelle or Chen Lee, instead?” Carol tried to reach over and brush her daughter’s hair back behind her ears, but Rindy angrily jerked her head away from her mother’s fingers and glared down.

“You’re just mad because Daddy likes Jessica’s mom now,” Rindy growled. 

Carol’s lip twitched. “My feelings for your father are not important. But my decision on Jessica Harding is final. Now let’s get some sleep, you have to be ready for that bus tomorrow...” trailing off, the mother finished tucking Rindy in and noticed that Elsa the Doll was missing. “Where’d you put Elsa, darling?”

“She’s staying over at Jessica’s house,” Rindy scowled. “I don’t care.” Then she rolled over to sleep on her right side of the bed with her back facing towards her mother while Carol, herself, wiped her sweaty bangs off her forehead and fought back all the tears from the few last remaining strength she had left.


	19. Summer Rain

“It’s raining outside,” Rindy mumbled, standing beside her mother on their porch set, dressed in a fluorescent pink rain slicker jacket with a yellow pair of galoshes and her purple glittery backpack strapped to her shoulders. “Hopefully Miss B will still let us have our snack break in the courtyard today...”

“I’m sure Therese knows that you can catch a cold that way,” Carol murmured, wearing a baby-blue-and-white square oversized cardigan sweater with a pair of black leggings. She blew cigarette smoke from the corner of her mouth before wiggling the bottom end piece of the rolled-up paper stick with her thumbnail.

“You just called my teacher by her first name,” Rindy’s voice filled with accusatory judgement with her nose crinkling up.

“I meant to say Miss Belivet,” Carol quickly responded back, bringing the tip end of her cigarette closer to her mouth for another drag. Her body movement perked up when she saw the familiar yellow mini school bus slowly roll into view along the wet, slick roads before parking itself right up on the driveway. “Oh, there’s the bus! I’ve stored your umbrella inside your backpack along with your lunchbox in case you need it...” she bent over to plant a kiss on Rindy’s forehead. “Be a good girl today - I love you, and I will see you later when I pick you up at 2:00...”

“I know, Mom,” Rindy murmured, pulling herself away from her mother’s warm-fuzzy-sweater embrace, remembering that she was still mad at Carol for not allowing her to hang out with Jessica Harding anymore. Rindy clobbered her way down the wooden porch steps onto the gravel driveway, feeling the cold droplets of rainwater hit and splatter her on the crown of her pink-slicker hooded head.

Carol watched her daughter leap and dodge over a few rain puddles to get to the stalling bus while the plexiglass doors folded open for her to climb up the metal steps and for her to go sit down on one of the brown vinyl leather seats. Waving goodbye, she saw a glimpse of Rindy behind one of the smudged windows and didn’t go back inside the house until her daughter and the school bus was out of sight for good.


	20. Fun Day

Miss Belivet brought all seven of her students downstairs to the cafeteria where there was a blocky, old TV set plugged on top of a metal Rollie cart. Left on one of the long brown, rectangular lunch tables, was a plexiglass baking tray filled with homemade brownies. Displayed next to the dessert were packets of coloring pencils, crayons, and markers, and a small pile of photo copy paper.

“I thought we all might like a no-class, Fun Day, today,” Miss B suggested over the surprising gasps and squeals of excitement. 

“Are those brownies?!” Xavier exclaimed.

“I want one!” Cooper declared. Then he broke into a wild run with Xavier racing after him; both boys shoving and pushing each other to get out of the way with their loose, untied shoelaces rattling and slapping across the shiny, buffed cafeteria floor. When the boys reached the brownie table, they hovered over the glass dish, playfully rubbing their hands together while smacking their lips like Sylvester usually did whenever he was close enough to eat Tweety from the old Looney Tune cartoons.

“I want you boys to sit down and wait until I put the movie in before either of you get a brownie,” Miss B ordered, taking the black remote off the metal cart once she stood beside the old school TV. She waited for everyone to be seated at their own choice of the lunch tables and noticed how Rindy was sitting at the middle table across from Chen and Jared, instead of the table behind her where Jessica Harding and Isobelle were sitting together with their own stack of drawing paper and box of coloring pencils. 

“What movie are we watching, Miss B?” Cooper asked, sitting down at the first table with the homemade brownies, resting his chin on top the palms of his hands. Xavier joined to sit across from him, carefully tugging a piece of the plastic SaranWrap.

“I’ve brought three in, but we only have enough time to watch one. Maybe two, if we're lucky,” Miss B explained. She removed the three DVDs out from her cavas tote bag that was placed on top of the DVD player below the TV and held them out. “We’ve got _Inside Out_ , _Zootopia_ , and the first _Incredibles_ movie...”

“I went to go see the second Incredibles movie with my dad!” Chen Lee announced. “It was so good and so funny! Jack-Jack is funny!”

“I saw it, too,” Xavier shrugged. 

“We should watch _Inside Out_ ,” Jessica said. 

“No, _Zootopia_ ,” Cooper argued.

“Let’s see _The Incredibles_!” Chen chirped.

“We can all vote on it,” Miss B replied. “Raise your hand for _Inside Out_?”

Jessica held up a red coloring pencil along with Isobelle raising up her own hand.

“Okay, that’s two people. Who wants to watch _Zootopia_?” Miss B asked.

Cooper raised both his hands up, making Xavier laugh and do the same. Miss B nodded and then flipped the DVDs around to reveal _The Incredibles_. 

“The first Incredibles movie?” she questioned.

Both Chen Lee and Jared Foley raised their hands up. Miss B counted their votes before staring at Carol Aird’s daughter. “You’re the only one that hasn’t voted yet, Rindy. Which movie do you want to see?”

“ _Inside Out_ ,” Rindy murmured softly, knowing that was probably her all-time favorite Disney Pixar movie.

“Oh, c’mon!” Xavier moaned.

Jessica and Isobelle both cheered with happiness which soon made Cooper snap, 

“You guys are not even going to watch the dumb movie! You're dumb coloring!”

“So what,” Jessica shot back. “We won. And it’s not _dumb_.”

“We can color and watch the movie at the same time,” Isobelle added.

“Everyone be quiet. We're going to watch _Inside Out_ ,” Miss B declared, placing the other two movies back in her bag before opening the selected DVD. 

As soon as the movie started with the students watching and drawing on pieces of paper, Miss B had turned off the cafeteria lights before heading straight to the storage closet to grab some paper plates and plastic silverware. She carried them toward the table where Cooper and Xavier sat with the glass tray of brownies and quietly unpeeled the plastic wrapping off. She carefully cut and served the boys each a brownie cube on a paper plate before cutting more out for the others. One by one, each child came over to the glass baking dish to receive their brownie. 

“Are these homemade?” Rindy asked the moment she was handed over a brownie on a paper plate. The square cube of chocolate had fudge filling on the inside with rainbow sprinkles on top.

“They are,” Miss B nodded. “Does your mother like to bake?”

“She does,” Rindy answered. “Thank you, Miss B.”

“You’re welcome,” Miss B smiled, before picking up the last plate of brownie for herself while Rindy carried hers back to her seat.

“Can we have seconds, Miss B?” Chen Lee asked, who already inhaled his cube of brownie within the last ten seconds. He had brownie crumbs all over his fingers and mouth.

“Sure, but slow down next time, Chen. You’ll get a bellyache if you eat too fast...”

“Porker,” Cooper snickered.

Xavier snorted like a pig.

“Hey, be nice,” Miss B scolded. “I can always bring you boys some math packets I left upstairs in the classroom...”

When she got to the middle table, Rindy saw a folded note through the cafeteria darkness and stared at it before sitting herself back down. She ignored her brownie plate and grabbed the note. Unfolding it, she read the neat, pretty handwriting:

_How come you’re not sitting with me and Izzy today?_  
_-J_

Rindy twisted her torso to glance back around to find Jessica staring back at her with a small smirk on her face. Isobelle had her head close down to her drawing paper beside her while scribbling purple crayon inside a large petal of a flower she drew out.

Sighing, Rindy picked up the blue coloring pencil Jessica left for her to reply and then wrote back:

_my mom doesn’t want me to hang out with you anymore :(_

Folding the note back-up, Rindy tossed it in the air and watched Jessica catch it beautifully. Jessica quickly unfolded it, read it, then snorted out loud to make Miss B gaze back at her briefly from the movie.

Rindy twisted back around to face the front and pulled her brownie plate close. She picked and nibbled the chocolately corners with her fingers with sprinkles falling everywhere. The note landed beside her elbow on the table where she read more of it quietly to herself:

_that’s so stupid! Your mom is a bitch!_

Impressed and horrified to see the swear word, Rindy quickly jotted back down an answer:

_I know! She rely is!_

With her back facing Jessica, Rindy tossed the note over her shoulder and checked to see if Miss B was watching. Miss B was busy serving Chen Lee his third brownie after telling him that was going to be his last one.

When the movie was over and there was only a little amount of time left for a second movie which was Cooper and Xavier’s request of _Zootopia_ , Miss B allowed Jessica and Rindy to buddy up to go to the girls’ bathroom. That was their perfect chance to talk.

“So your mom says that we can’t hang out anymore?” Jessica demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.

“She says your family isn’t trustworthy or safe,” Rindy shrugged.

“We _are_ ,” Jessica scoffed. “What does she know?”

“I still want to be friends with you, Jessica,” Rindy mumbled. She watched the Harding girl kick the gray trash bin with the toe of her ballet shoe and shook out her wavy, brunette-blonde highlighted hair.

“You can’t be my friend, Rindy, because your mom is a bitch! That’s what my own mother keeps telling me and she’s totally right!”

“My mom is not always... not always a _witch_ ,” Rindy spoke with slight defense. Sure, there were times when Carol had really gotten on her daughter’s nerves, but that was everyday, normal mother-daughter behavior they could always make up and bond well together again. 

“You’re such a baby! Quit being like one!” Jessica took a step forward and then shoved Rindy backwards between the pink stalls. _Hard_. Tears welling up her eyes, Rindy grabbed her throbbing shoulder and heard the school bell rang like it always did when it was two o’clock. Jessica bolted out from the bathroom and left Rindy standing there, crying.


	21. In A Mood

_Where’s Rindy?_ was the first thing going through Carol’s mind as she stood in the courtyard by the iron-wired fence, dressed in a yellow floral blouse and tall white shorts, watching the six, familiar faces of her daughter’s summer school class burst out running from the double doors of the elementary school building with the ongoing loud ringing dismissal bell. Carol saw Cooper and Xavier race each other to climb aboard the afternoon bus. She saw Jared Foley’s mother, a pretty light-skinned woman with beads in her braided hair, embrace her shy son, by drawing him close for a hug with her hand cupping the top of his shaven head. She saw Chen Lee reunite with both his mother and father in the parking lot, who were waiting for him inside their green Volvo. She saw Isobelle leaving with Jessica to walk her back home to the Harding house, but where was her own child? Her daughter’s absence began to alarm and worry Carol very quickly.

The back doors slammed shut and remained closed for a good twenty seconds before they swung back open again to reveal a pouty, distraught-looking Rindy Aird. Carol sighed with relief as her child walked closer towards her; holding onto her shoulder with her eyes glued to the ground. Carol took a couple steps to pull Rindy for a hug. Rindy glared on, motionless. She could smell the lingering scent of her mother’s perfume and the sugary flavor of spearmint gum on her breath.

“How was your day, darling?” her mother asked her with a goofy grin on her face. She bent her knees and leaned over to give Rindy a loud, pecking kiss between her eyes on the forehead. 

“We watched a movie and Miss B made us brownies,” Rindy said. Agitated with the drizzly rain in contrast with her mother’s bright, cheerful attitude, and the fact that Jessica no longer wanted to be her friend anymore, the Aird daughter pulled away from Carol and headed straight for their car behind the fence. 

Carol went after her. She opened the driver’s side door and got behind the wheel, but didn’t start the car until Rindy was all ready, all buckled up in the backseat. When she was, Carol twisted the key into the ignition before asking Rindy what was her problem?

“I don’t have one, it’s nothing, Mom,” Rindy mumbled back, rolling her head sideways against the plush seat cushion to stare out the window that was in front of her. She could feel her mother’s eyes staring back at her through the rear view mirror, but didn’t have the courage to look back into them and confess her unpleasant moment with Jessica in the girls’ bathroom.

**xxxx**

Carol didn’t bother to ask Rindy the second time what her problem was the minute they got home. She had a feeling it had something to do with Jessica Harding, and tonight, Carol honestly did not want to talk about the troublesome girl. As she was preparing tonight’s dinner - roasted potatoes with kielbasa and cooked summer squash and zucchini - she had let Rindy use the living room and play some puzzle games on her iPad. The rain did not stop and kept falling outside both the kitchen and living room windows. 

“Hey, Bugaboo...? Want me to quiz you on those reading chapters after we have dinner, or right before bed?” Carol called out to her daughter in the living room from her spot in the kitchen. With two hands, the mother picked up the square cooking dish of the seasoned potato chunks to carry it towards the oven and slide the food right across on top of the metal rack before swinging the door shut.

Rindy didn’t respond. Her eyes were focused on her mother’s iPad screen, collecting coins and gems from one of those adventure app games.

“Rindy?” Carol paused and stared blankly at the orange polka dot kitchen window curtain. She blinked, snapping out of it to move and leave from the countertop. She stepped out of the kitchen and poked her head in the living room, peering down the back of the couch at her daughter’s head. “Honey, do you want me to quiz those reading chapters with you after dinner or before bed?”

Again, Rindy didn’t answer her. The girl’s thumb and forefinger kept swiping along the iPad screen, leaving fingerprints and smudges. Realizing she was being ignored, Carol reached down from behind her daughter on the couch and snatched the iPad off her lap.

“ _Mom, I was playing a game on that!_ ” Rindy angrily shouted.

“And you were also ignoring me. I asked you a question, Rinds,” Carol spoke calmly.

“ _What!_ ”

“Okay, first of all, you need to stop yelling at me,” Carol instructed. “And second- where is this rude attitude coming from, young lady? You’ve been acting moody and disrespectful towards me all afternoon.”

“I don't have an attitude,” Rindy whined. “I want to play my game!”

“No,” Carol snorted. “That’s not going to happen. How about you go upstairs and reread tonight’s assigned chapters from that book of yours, calm yourself down a bit, and decide whether or not you want your mother to quiz you after dinner or right before bed? You’ve played your games long enough. It’s time to do some homework.”

“I hate this dumb summer,” Rindy grumbled, pushing herself off the couch to go upstairs. Carol sighed deeply into her mouth before setting the iPad down on the coffee table. That’s when she heard the soft chiming of the doorbell go off. Alert, she marched towards the sound, barefoot.

Therese Belivet was standing on the porch welcome mat. Happiness and full-blown astonishment washed over Carol as she held the door open. Her gray-blue eyes crinkled up. “Therese...?” she spoke her name out loud with slight wonder.

“Hi,” Therese greeted with a small tug of her raincoat sleeve. “I-I don’t mean to bother you, but I was wondering if I could see you? There’s really nobody else I want to talk to...”

“Of course! You’re always welcome here, my dear. Please, come in,” Carol urged her, taking a step backwards once Therese moved forward, avoiding eye contact. She awkwardly gazed around inside the small hallway, letting Carol hook their arms together before steering themselves into the living room.

“What’s Richard doing tonight?” Carol released their arms to let them fall down at their sides and move over to sit themselves right next to each other on the couch.

“He’s over at his parents’ house celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary,” Therese replied, now eyeing Carol’s long slender, tanned neck. She couldn’t help but stare at the golden necklace Carol wore with a pedant of an arrow hung beneath her open collar blouse. The jewelry was cute and matched her outfit nicely. Without thinking, Therese reached over to lift the tiny arrow with two fingers. 

“A gift,” Carol explained, staring amusingly back at the curious young teacher. “Abby bought it for me for my birthday...”

“It’s pretty.” Therese let go now and blinked away, feeling heat radiating her face. She cleared her throat, picking a hangnail. “Is Rindy here?”

“In her room, mad at me,” Carol sighed. “I had let her play some puzzle games on my iPad, and she was completely ignoring me when I asked her a question about her book. So I took the tablet away and sent her up to her room. All afternoon she’s been nasty to me. I don’t know what to do.”

“Today we had a Fun Day - watching movies and eating brownies in the cafeteria. I noticed that Rindy wasn’t sitting next to Jessica and Isobelle.”

Carol held the side of her face with her elbow resting on the right arm of the couch. “I told Rindy that she couldn’t hang out with Jessica Harding anymore because she’s a bad influence. That’s probably the reason for Rindy’s misbehavior.”

Therese didn’t speak. She watched Carol shift around and then get up from the couch. “Do you want something to drink? Lemonade? Iced tea? There’s milk, too...”

“Iced tea?” Therese scratched the back of her neck, glancing down upon the purple rubbercase tablet on the coffee table that had shut itself off with the video game music still playing. 

Carol left the living room to go fix Therese a glass of iced tea in the kitchen. Thrilled to have the shy, awkward woman for company, her heartbeat was pulsing rapidly in her chest and she couldn’t stop smiling the whole time preparing the refreshing, cold drink.


	22. Right At Home

Carol shook out some ice cubes from the lime green _Rubbermaid_ ice tray into a glass Mason jar before she took the plastic Arizona jug out from the fridge to pour some inside. She carried the drink out of the kitchen back into the living room. Therese was standing by the fireplace, eyeing the family photos on top of the mantlepiece. She glanced around from hearing the sound of ice ratting against glass. Carol approached her with her arm extended out. Therese reached for the Mason jar and soon found her fingers overlapping the mother’s.

Bringing the iced tea close to her mouth, Therese took a few small sips with Carol watching her. She swallowed the taste of the sugary, delicious raspberry-lemon rolling down the back of her throat before staring at the row of photos again.

Carol cleared her throat and pointed at the furthest picture on the left. “This was taken on Rindy’s third birthday party.” The photo showed a toddler version of Rindy sitting in her high chair wearing a baby giraffe bib with globs of vanilla cake and frosting all over her nose, mouth, and chin. Curly strands of pink-green-yellow ribbon were taped and dangled onto her baby hair. She was laughing into the camera.

“The next picture is Rindy graduating her year in kindergarten,” Carol went on, sliding her hand over to the photo beside the birthday one. It showed a five-year-old Rindy holding up a diploma, dressed in a metallic blue cap and gown with shiny white buckle shoes. “Then you have her roller blading for the first time...” Carol kept going, presenting another picture of a much older Rindy sitting on a dirt hill wearing bike gloves, elbow pads, knee pads, and a pink scooter helmet. The little girl was showing the camera her bloody scraped shins with a sour look on her face. On her feet were a pair of electric blue rollerblades.

Therese grinned as she looked at some more. She saw a marriage photo of Rindy’s grandparents back when they were in their 20s. She saw one with Rindy, Carol, and Abby, dressed in matching tie-dye T-shirts and headbands, and then the last one, the last photo was a picture of just Carol cuddling Rindy on her lap on top of wet rocks at the beach. The weather in that photo seemed bright and hot with lots of sunshine, because both mother and daughter were squinting with their hair blowing from the wind.

“That was last summer,” Carol spoke while Therese sipped more of her iced tea. “We went on a road trip to Maine. We strolled through boardwalks, swam in the ocean, brought home bags of Jelly Belly jellybeans and saltwater taffy...”

Therese replied, “Sounds like you and Rindy both had a really good time.”

“We did. It was,” Carol wistfully concluded. Now the timer from the stove was going off. Carol politely excused herself to go check on the food and prepare more steps for dinner. Therese stayed in the living room and went to sit herself back down on the couch. She set the Mason jar on her black-nylon kneecap and began to imagine Carol, makeup-free, with a sprinkle dust of summer freckles on the bridge of her nose, and her hair a lighter yellow with locks of long, wavy curls.

A small padding of feet descending downstairs broke Therese from her thoughts of Carol and made her glance sideways to find Rindy coming down the steps with her Judy Blume copy of _Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing._ A small gasp came out of Rindy from the sight of her summer school teacher. “Miss B? What are you doing here at my house?”

“I came to visit you and your mom, honey. I hope you don’t mind...?” Therese sat up taller on the couch while placing her iced tea down on the coffee table. Rindy jumped off the last stair and brought her book into the living room. She had been keeping her thumb and forefinger on the spot where she left off. 

Rindy shook her head. “I don’t mind. I was just rereading Chapter 7 & 8 before quizzing. Can you quiz me right now? Mom won’t have to do it, because you’re better at asking the questions than she is!”

“I heard that!” Carol’s voice hollered along with some kitchen drawers opening and piles of silverware clinking together.

Therese’s eyes widened with terror as she took the book from Rindy to quiz her and saw the girl trying to hold her laughter and not spill a single giggle out.

**xxxx**

Of course Miss Belivet was invited to join dinner with them. She quietly forked slices of zucchini and popped them into her mouth at the dining room table, noticing how Carol and Rindy were both eating their food, quietly, too. Carol kept sneaking glances back and forth between her daughter and Therese. She had cut up her kielbasa meat into tiny bite-size pieces with her knife and fork before setting them back down on the edges of her plate while Therese sat beside her on her left and ate naturally; chewing and swallowing.

“Rindy, my love, could you please pass me the salt?” Carol asked.

Her daughter picked up the frosty salt shaker that was near her right elbow and then hovered over the table to place the salt right in front of Carol’s plate.

“Thank you, honey. How did you do on those chapters?”

“I got them all right,” Rindy answered.

“Wonderful,” Carol gushed, glancing back towards Therese, who nodded with agreement. She opened her mouth to say more, but no words came out. Therese gave her a smile that calmed her nerves. Rindy shoved a whole sautéed summer squash slice into her mouth and began to chew.

“Can I call Grandpa now?” Rindy dropped her fork loudly onto her plate of food.

“Are you all done eating? No more?” Carol peered down at the barely touched kielbasa and the less than half cooked vegetables.

“No more,” Rindy recited. She scrambled out from her seat at the table the minute Carol dismissed her with a wave of her hand. Therese watched Rindy run over to grab her mother’s cell phone left lying on a round placemat between them before taking off with it.

“Rindy likes to talk to her grandparents after dinner,” Carol said, between chews.

Therese swallowed and reached for the glass Mason jar to realize she had drank all of her iced tea.

Smirking, Carol went up to go fix her another refill.

**xxxx**

After dinner with the food all put away and the dishes left in the sink; soaking up with soap and water, Carol had let Therese stay over longer for them to watch a movie while Rindy was busy telling her grandpa about her mishap with Jessica, upstairs in her room.

“Have you seen this film before? _The Children’s Hour_ with Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine?” Carol asked Therese, throwing an oversized soft gray cable knit blanket over their folded legs on each side of the couch. 

“No,” Therese said, staring at the opening credits appearing on the flat TV screen.

“The entire movie is black-and-white,” Carol said. “It’s based on a true story. Audrey sort of reminds me of you.”

Therese snorted as Carol laughed.

“Oh c’mon! You don’t think so?” Carol laughed some more once Therese shook her head slowly. 

The women turned their heads to the TV, giving their full attention to the singing schoolgirls on the screen.


	23. The Kiss

Therese couldn’t make heads or tails with the movie. She liked the friendship between the two characters Audrey and Shirley were portraying, but despised the antagonist, Mary Tilford, who pretty much bullied and lied by getting her own way throughout the film. The ending disturbed her. Carol had been snoozing with her cheek resting on a pillow on the right side arm of the couch. Therese wanted to wake her and demand for her to tell her why’d she pick such a horrible, sad movie? Instead, she got up from the couch and heard some movements coming from the kitchen.

Rindy was in the middle of making herself a root beer float. She took the vanilla Hood ice cream out from the freezer and the Market Basket brand soda from the fridge. Standing by the counter, she scooped two spoonfuls of ice cream into a fancy beer mug before pouring some root beer. She then had set the bottle down and retrieved her spoon out from the mug.

“Hey,” Therese said, making the girl jump. She gave her an apologizing smile before sitting herself down at the table. “What are you doing, Rinds?”

“Making a root beer float,” Rindy answered. “Do you want any?”

“No thanks, honey. Your mother’s asleep.”

“She does that,” Rindy said, stirring her spoon around. “You wanna come play with me, upstairs?”

“Aren’t you tired, sweetie?” 

“No.” 

_Of course not,_ Therese thought, watching the girl slurp some of the soda foam off the mug’s rim. _If you give any child a delicious dessert like a root beer float, they’ll be bouncing up the walls for hours._

“Play!” Rindy urged.

So they did. Therese slid her green marker through two square spaces from the _Candyland_ board game. Rindy flipped over a card and showed her a picture of a happy chubby monster representing gumdrops. 

“This is Jolly,” Rindy said.

“I remember him,” Therese grinned, thinking back to the times when she played the same game with the same characters when she was Rindy’s age.

“This card means that I have to go to the Gumdrop Mountains!” Rindy picked up her red marker and placed it on the magical world of sugary gumdrops.

Therese picked up another card and moved one space. The object of the game was to be the first one to get to King Kandy’s Castle.

Rindy won by shortcuts. Therese helped her put away the board game and made her put on her pajamas. Reading her two bedtime stories, Therese closed up the dolphin book and started tucking her in when Rindy asked her,

“How many more summer school classes do we have left, Miss B?”

“Three,” Therese said. “Tomorrow, the next day, and then next week.”

Rindy didn’t speak. Her teacher patted her tummy before moving herself off the bed. She murmured a goodnight before switching the light off, leaving the door open with the hallway light still on. 

Carol was wide awake by the time Therese came back downstairs. With the TV shut off, she gave Therese a sleepy smile and rubbed the back of her neck; stretching her legs out with the blanket draped over.

“Is Rindy put to bed?”

“Yes,” Therese answered. She slowly made her way over to sit beside Carol on the couch and looked anywhere in the living room but her.

“Did you like the movie?” Carol clutched the blanket tighter around her. 

“Not really,” Therese heard herself say. “It was depressing and frustrating. I wanted justice for those women.” 

“Me too. Next time I’ll pick a better movie.” Then Carol playfully nudged Therese’s hipbone with her toes. 

Therese lowered her eyes. “Can I tell you something?”

“Of course.”

“I don’t want to marry Richard.” It felt like all the weight had been lifted off her shoulders. The truth had been let out and was set free forever.

Carol didn’t say anything and let Therese go on.

“I don’t think I ever wanted to. I don’t love him like he loves me. It’s my fault how far we got in this so-called relationship.”

Carol rises up from the couch and quietly pulls the blanket off to start to fold it. Therese stands up beside her, reaching a hand out to help her.

“Here, let me,” Therese started reaching for the other end of the blanket. As she began to fold the corners, Carol dropped her piece of blanket, held each side of Therese’s face and kissed her softly on the lips.

Therese’s eyes were half-closed as soon as Carol pulled their mouths apart. The cooling space of air between them was unbearable. Therese threw the blanket down on the floor to lock her arms around Carol’s neck as they embraced each other and kissed once more.

“Is it wrong of me to say that I prefer you over Richard?” Therese whispered with their foreheads resting together.

“Richard who?” Carol whispered back, locking her arms around the young woman’s small waist. 

At this point, it didn’t even matter.


	24. Rindy Is Your Daughter, Too

“I’ll be the one picking Rindy up from her summer school today,” Harge spoke to Carol the next morning on the phone.

“That’s fine,” Carol replied, sealing up a plastic snack bag filled with cheddar Goldfish crackers for her daughter’s lunchbox at the kitchen counter.

“What, no snarky protests? No wisecracking comebacks?” her ex-husband questioned.

Carol scowled and as she switched hands to hold her iPhone 8 from the other ear. “Why should there be? Rindy is your daughter, too.”

“I’m taking Greta Harding and her girls to Canobie Lake Park this afternoon. Rindy will be joining us, because I know how much she loves water slides. Don’t tell her. I want to surprise her...”

“How thoughtful of you to invite our daughter the last minute, Harge,” Carol’s voice dipped with sarcasm. “I guess you made it official then? There’s an ‘us’ between you and a married woman now?”

“Jealous?” Harge challenged.

Carol snorted and tossed the snack baggy inside her kid’s lunchbox. “You’d like it if I was, wouldn’t you? Nope. Sorry. I am not jealous of you or that swamp creature at all. I’ve lust and desired over my fair share of women throughout the years, but Greta Harding looks more like a sad combination between Anjelica Huston’s Morticia Addams and Elvira...”

“I prefer raven broads anyway,” Harge coolly responded back. “They’re far more sexier in bed. Fierce, too.”

Carol laughed. “Sounds like you and Goth Barbie are truly perfect for each other! Let’s hope she has no crabs!” Then she pulled the phone away from her ear and hung up. 

**xxxx**

“Which problem are you stuck on, Xavier?” Miss B spoke during math when she caught the Hispanic boy raise his hand high at the desk table he shared with Cooper.

“This one,” Xavier said, pointing a finger down at his math sheet while Miss B walked towards him and peered over his shoulder. She traced her finger along the words and read out loud,

“The length around a soccer field is 750 meters. If Peter runs around this field 8 times, what is the distance Peter has run?”

Xavier shrugged when she paused for him to answer. Cooper kept swirling a paperclip around with the dull tip of his pencil beside him.

Jessica had purposely switched tables with Jared, so she could sit with Isobelle instead. Rindy had been holding back tears in her seat, trying hard not to cry in front of everybody in the classroom. Jessica was still mad at her and kept making it obvious that they were no longer friends.

“How come Rindy can’t sit with us anymore, Jessica?” Isobelle asked during snack break. She gazed at Rindy through her thick orb glasses, watching her unzip her lunchbox on the grass inches away from their shady spot under the tree.

“Because, Izzy,” Jessica spoke loud enough for Rindy to hear, “She told me that her mom doesn’t want her to be my friend! And she’s like a cardboard copy of her, so she pretty much agrees with her!”

“I never said that!” Rindy shouts back, heat rising. “I said that I still want to be your friend, Jessica!”

“No you didn’t,” Jessica smirked, tearing off the foil lid of her Pringles Sour Cream & Onion snack cup.

“Yes I did!”

Isobelle sucked yogurt off the knuckles of her fingers and didn’t know what to believe. She disliked arguments and the split between her friends, but she wanted to stay out of it, because that was probably for the best.

“Guess what, Izzy?” Jessica said, biting into a chip.

“What?”

“Rindy’s dad and my mom are dating!”

“They are?”

“Yeah. It’s so weird!”

“What about _your_ dad? Does he know?”

“I don’t think so, but my mom wants to keep it a secret. She says if I keep my mouth shut, she’ll let me get my cartilage pierced for the upcoming school year!”

“Really? Wow!” Isobelle cried. 

“I know, right?” Jessica smiled, watching Rindy brush cheddar cracker crumbs off her Skye Paw Patrol T-shirt. “My mom’s so much better than Rindy’s boring, strict one! At least her dad’s pretty nice. He bought Kayla a new Fingerling yesterday and got me this purple Fitbit watch! Wanna see? Look!”

“It’s so pretty!”

Rindy couldn’t listen anymore. Her father had never bought her a Fingerling or a Fitbit watch. And her mother would never _ever_ in a million years allow her to get her cartilage pierced. She stuffed most of her trash back inside her lunchbox and then picked herself off the grass to leave just in time for Miss B to round everyone up to go back inside.

It was that given moment Rindy wished that she was put under Miss B’s care and go live with her permanently from now on.


	25. Car Trips

Rindy clung onto Miss Belivet as soon as the school bell rang for the third-to-last day of summer class to be over. She saw a clear shot of her father standing outside the courtyard holding Jessica’s little sister in his arms with Mrs. Harding cradling the squirming Gypsy next to them. _That’s not my family!_ Rindy wanted to scream out, but instead she pressed her face up against her teacher’s yellow-blue plaid shirt and pouted.

“Oh look, Rindy, your father’s here to pick you up,” Therese spoke softly as the two of them stood together on the concrete steps leading the back side of the elementary school building. “I think Jessica’s sister has the same Elsa doll as you, which reminds me, where’s _your_ Elsa? I haven’t seen her lately...”

“That’s because I left her at Jessica’s house,” Rindy replied with her voice muffled. “Can I just go live at your house?”

Therese giggled. “Your father wouldn’t like that. C’mon.”

Rindy moved her flip-flops alongside her teacher towards Harge, Kayla, Gypsy, and Mrs. Harding near the ironwired fence. Jessica and Isobelle had rushed over miles ahead of them beforehand.

Therese stopped in front of Mr. Aird with his daughter’s face still buried inside her Macy’s shirt. She gave Harge a forced smile as he stared back at her and Rindy’s odd behavior. He gently placed Kayla Harding down on her feet and took a step towards his own child. 

“Rindy?” Harge spoke, exchanging a confused look at Miss Belivet. “Is she...? What’s wrong with my daughter?”

“Nothing, Mr. Aird,” Therese said, rubbing Rindy’s back. “I think she’s had a long day.”

Harge nodded and smiled the moment his daughter turned her face around to gaze up at him. “There’s my special girl! Aren’t you glad to see me? I’ve got a surprise for you, sweetheart. Guess where you’re going?”

“Grandma and Grandpas’?” Rindy mumbled hopefully.

“No!” Kayla Harding chirped. “That’s not where! That’s not where we’re going!”

 _We?_ Rindy’s heart sank to realize her father and the Harding family were about to go take her somewhere together. 

“Where?”

“Guess!”

“Tell me, Daddy!”

“We’re going-“

“Canobie Lake Park!” Kayla finished for him.

“All of us?” Rindy pouted. She glanced at Jessica, who was begging her mother for them to bring Isobelle. Greta turned to face Rindy’s father and wanted to know his thoughts about it.

“I guess Isobelle can come with us,” Harge said. “Now cheer up, kiddo. Where’s that beautiful smile?”

“You’re going to have so much fun, Rindy,” Therese added as she coaxed the pouty girl, who squeezed her tighter for a response. “I wish I could go with you, but I don’t think there’s any room left in the car.”

“It’s full,” Mrs. Harding agreed, bending her knees a little to let Isobelle pat Gypsy on the head.

“I don’t want to go,” Rindy whined as soon as her father scooped her up in his arms. He kissed her on the forehead and tried to tickle her. 

“Of course you do,” he spoke over her stifled giggles. “Grandma packed your bathing suit and towel for you. So let’s get going and have ourselves a wonderful time!”

**xxxx**

Therese gathered up her things back inside the classroom before she locked the door and left the school building entirely. She carried her bag through the parking lot towards her car and stopped to pull her keys out. 

A bleep of a horn made her turn around to see Carol sitting inside her own vehicle, waving her hello.

Therese walked towards her and smiled. 

“Hey there,” Carol greeted.

“Hi.”

“Therese, you’ve been on my mind,” Carol confessed as she drove them both out of the school parking lot onto the highway. “You keep haunting my dreams.”

“Sorry,” Therese smiled, but she secretly wasn’t, and gazed out through her window on the passenger side. She wanted to know where Carol was going, but just being in her presence again was good enough by itself. 

Carol reached over to turn the radio up and tried to find a decent station for them. “How was Rindy today?” she asked.

“Very clingy,” Therese replied. “It seemed like she wasn’t too thrilled to see her dad picking her up. And, uh, Mrs. Harding was there, too.”

“Harge and Greta? In broad daylight?” Carol dropped her hand to an old Train song. Therese began to listen to the beginning of Drops of Jupiter. She was very young when that song first came out. High school years. 

Carol snorted and shook her head. “He thinks I’m jealous of their relationship. I seriously don’t care who Harge dates or sleeps with. He keeps forgetting that I owe him nothing. He always puts on this suit of attitude like he’s the king of the world! Like he’s this mighty, powerful god. Bunch of crap, honestly.”

“I kicked Richard out this morning,” Therese spoke up. “He told me that I was a worthless cunt after I called off our engagement. I don’t even hate him. I have no feelings for him whatsoever.”

“Worthless cunt, huh? That makes two of us. I guess we have each other now,” Carol sighed. She kept her eyes on the road ahead of them while trying to keep a straight face without laughing. Therese grinned back at her and nestled on her side in the passenger seat deciding she was very much okay with that.


	26. Things to Do

“Carol, your caramel iced coffee is all set!” spoke a petite redhead Starbucks associate named Yvonne. She leveled the mic mouthpiece of her headset and twirled back around to the drive-thru window. Carol stepped towards the front end counter and reached for her straw and drink. She spotted Therese standing in front of the wooden cabinet that kept all the sugar packets, napkins, and pitcher types of creamery. She had been staring up at the cork board nailed high above her reading through all the different upcoming music shows and theater performances. Stepping next to her, Carol removed the plastic lid of her coffee cup and reached for the half & half.

“See anything good?” she asked, pouring cream into her coffee.

“Yeah,” Therese answered, but didn’t explain what. Carol glanced up at the fliers and pamphlets and saw one thing that sparked her interest.

“Ooh. There’s a 3-day weekend renaissance fair event happening in Stolbrook. Today’s the last day to go. Wanna check it out? It’s free admission!”

“Let’s go,” Therese replied, placing the green straw between her lips and took a few sips of her hazelnut iced coffee.

Once they made it back inside the Honda, Carol checked her phone to see if there were any messages left for her. There were none. Therese studied her as she pulled her seatbelt on.

“I thought maybe I would get a text or call from Rindy,” Carol explained. She shrugged as she dropped her phone back inside the cigarette console and stuck the key back into ignition.

“I’m sure she’s having fun,” Therese said.

**xxxx**

The ticket boy kept shaking his head towards Mrs. Harding with Gypsy panting in her arms.

“Ma’am, I cannot allow your dog here at the park...”

“She’s a good girl!” Mrs. Harding argued, ignoring all the frustrated, scowling people waiting in line behind her to get inside the amusement park grounds. “What’s the big, fucking deal? I’ll put her goddamn leash on, if that makes you happy!”

“Ma’am, I’m sorry, but I must go by the parks’ rules and regulations for the safety and well-being-“

“I paid you for my wristband to get in,” Mrs. Harding snapped. “I’m not leaving Gypsy in the car, roasting in the oven-baked sun!”

“Greta, I told you they wouldn’t allow it,” Harge spoke tightly, standing inside the entrance of Canobie with all four girls wearing their paper wristbands. The five of them successfully got in, but Mrs. Harding and the wiry Yorkie did not.

Rindy stood beside her father with a hot, pained expression on her face. Kayla kept bopping her with her Elsa doll to get some kind of attention, while Jessica and Isobelle stood on the other side of Harge, eyeing all the different game stations and rides.

“I’m going to radio security, if you don’t leave this line,” the ticket boy went on.

“You’re the one who’s out of line!” Mrs. Harding snarled.

“Show some respect, lady!” a voice hollered behind her.

“Like there’s been any, lately,” Mrs. Harding snorted.

Gypsy yipped out in response, sending the ticket boy to reach for his walkie talkie clipped to his belt.

**xxxx**

Carol switched lanes on the highway heading towards a forming line at the toll booth. Therese peered out of the passenger side window and stood at the rows of cars inching their way through to the other side. Carol reached to grab her E-ZPass out of the glove compartment and held it on the glass above the rear view mirror. She rolled past through the flashing green light. Her foot pressing the gas pedal, she accelerated the Honda to speed up and continue faster.

“The AC is on, but you can roll down the window if you want the fresh air,” Carol spoke over the radio playing John Denver’s Take Me Home Country Road.

Therese pressed her finger on the black mechanical switch and soon found herself with the cool wind blowing her hair and face. 

Buildings eventually turned into trees and telephone wires once Carol drove them down a long, winding dirt road that soon led to a open field with cars parked in rows behind a large, towering castle. A man wearing a black tricorn hat, brown period tights, satin cavalier shirt and low boots, steered his horse to a stop beside Carol’s window on the driver’s side and leaned over to peer at her, curiously. 

Carol pushed her window down and grinned at the individual in costume.

“Hello,” she greeted.

The man tipped his hat to her. “Ladies. Good day! How met?”

“We are fine, um, I thank thee,” Carol tried out her best renaissance impersonation. She gave Therese a quick wink, who glowed beside her in her seat. 

“Have thou come to the fair this fine day?” the man went on.

“Aye,” Carol nodded. Therese giggled and started unbuckling her seatbelt.


	27. Faire Scare

Therese took a long sip of her iced coffee as soon as she and Carol got out of the Honda. “Can I pet your horse?”

“You may,” the horseman bowed his head. He wrapped the leather reins tightly around his knuckles while Therese gave the silver white mare a few stokes on the nose. Carol was busy locking all the car doors. The beeping car alarm made the animal teeter back. Therese clicked her teeth and sipped more coffee.

“Sorry,” Carol apologized, shoving her keys back inside her high waisted shorts’ pocket. She removed her coffee off the hood of the car and took a few careful sips of it.

“It seems my lovely Geneva cannot withstand motorized contraptions,” the horseman sighed. “Prithee. We must come hither!” Slapping the reins, he made the horse turn around and steer back to the grounds of the castle.

Therese exchanged a look with Carol before moving forward to follow her with their coffees in their hands. They tossed the empty drinks inside a trash barrel outside the castle’s entrance. Faint voices and string music were coming from inside.

“Adieu, my good ladies. I bid thee farewell!” the horseman tipped his hat goodbye to the women before galloping back to the open parking lot field for the next arrival of somebody driving their motorized contraption.

Men, women, and children from all ages, were dressed up in some kind of costume: cloaks, robes, tights, tunics, double-layer skirts and country style maid dresses. Tents were set up with bakers and blacksmiths wielding hot metal made tools, serving fresh rolls of biscuits, pies, and loaves of bread. There were cooks chopping up vegetables and herbs for soups, little kids running around barefoot in the grass with wooden toy swords and plastic tambourines. Maidens sat in groups washing linen from buckets of water and metal scuffle boards. Smells of livestock, bales of hay, and frying meat, intoxicated the woodsy pine air. 

Carol grinned and saw two horsemen preparing themselves a round of jousting. Their bodies were covered up with suits of armor. Three or four princesses stood nearby them, waving their hankerchiefs out in their satin, beaded gowns.

“What ‘n blazes are yar wearin’ lass?!” A heavy, flustered-looking woman in a gold-brown dress and padded arming cap, marched through a mob of people directly towards Therese. Carol laughed as she watched the woman take hold of Therese’s arms and stretched them out to have her looking down at herself in the yellow-blue plaid shirt and jeans she had on. Therese blushed while the woman clicked her tongue with distaste and started pulling her along. “We can’t have you clothed in that! We must put on thee proper clothes! You, too, Blondie! What say you?”

Therese glanced around and watched Carol following close beside them. _I’m not leaving you_ , her grayish-blue eyes were telling her. The ruddy woman led both women behind a big orange tent with a trailer home. She made the mobile house creak and rock once she stepped foot inside and then came out with a treasure chest filled with medieval clothes. 

“Oooh,” Carol glowed.

“Pick any’thin that fits!” The woman instructed. She left them now; out of breath and wiped sweat off her dirt-smeared forehead.

Therese bent over and pried open the chest. Carol searched through the costumes and pulled out a cranberry-white forest gown. “I would often let Rindy play dress-up in my room and try on my clothes,” the mother chuckled. “Sadly, she stopped doing it one day, and thought playing dress-up was a dumb, baby thing to do.”

“I don’t think so,” Therese replied, holding up a green cloak & hood. She gently put the costume away to rummage around the chest some more. 

Ten minutes later, Carol chose a floppy hat with a burgundy Ostrich plume with a white cavalier shirt, Locksley pants, and mid-calf leather boots. She took a couple of selfies with her phone outside the trailer home, waiting for Therese to come out. She sent Rindy a picture and a text hello to her ex-husband’s name and number. 

The trailer door broke open now, revealing Therese in an aqua blue dress with a corset bodice and pair of Mary Jane shoes on her feet. Peering down at the costume, she stretched and held the flowing train cascading her legs like a giant sea curtain. 

“Mine eyes doth taketh interest in thee,” Carol quipped.

Therese bowed her head. “Grammercy.”

Feeling like they were a part of something now, the women walked around the fair in their costumes, cuddling with their arms around each other’s waist, head over heels in love. Therese felt shortness of breath with the corset suffocating her, but she tried to ignore it and took a bowl of pigeon soup from Carol at a food tent. 

“You look famished, my dear lady,” Carol spoke in her low Aussie accent. She watched the young teacher eye her soup wearily before picking up her wooden spoon.

“Mayhap,” Therese answered. “Tell me. How’s the bread?” She slurped her soup with her spoon while Carol broke off a piece of stale bread.

“Chewy,” Carol spoke with her mouth full. “Dry, too.”

“The soup’s very salty,” Therese observed. She panted out, waving her hand in front of her sweltering face.

“They have apple cider. Hold on,” Carol said, moving toward the refreshment table with goblets of cider, lemonade, and rose water. Therese kept fanning her sweaty face some more, seeing flashes of tiny dark spots. With her vision dimming along with her breathing dispersing, her bowl of soup slid off her fingers onto the ground; spilling parts of her shoes and dress. 

Carol turned around with the cider drinks in her hands just in time for Therese to faint.

“THERESE!” Carol screamed as she dropped and spilled both of the cider goblets on the satin tablecloth along with her rock hard piece of stale bread. She hurriedly rushed past through the startled, frightful looks of people that were now stopping to hover over the unconscious young woman.

“Excuse me! Move!” Carol snapped, pushing her way through the throng of people to kneel down on her knees and carefully start picking Therese’s head up. “Oh honey... Therese? Therese!” Carol examined the teacher with tears welling up her eyes. Carol choked out a bleary sob with her fingers fluttering upon Therese’s breastbone. Realizing it was the damn corset that was suffocating her, Carol flipped Therese over in her arms fumbling around with the laces.

“ _Well don’t just gawk and stand there, you idiots! Help me!_ ” Carol snapped. She had lost control of what she was doing and burst out crying. Strong hands hauled both Carol and Therese off the grassy knoll to carry the fainted teacher away and comfort the upset mother. Carol ignored their sympathetic gestures and followed a few maids to a cooling tent where they had Therese laid out on some blankets and started quickly untying the bodice of the corset and removed it. Therese coughed up a lungful of air with bits of hair in her face. Carol hugged her and kissed her everywhere.

Carol sniffled and pressed her lips up against one corner of Therese’s mouth. She made some of the maids squirm, but she didn’t care. Therese was alive, back to breathing.

“Carol, what...?” Therese began, comforted by another kiss on the lips. 

“You fainted, darling,” Carol explained in a hush whisper. She cupped her hands on the back of Therese’s neck, resting their foreheads together.

“Oh god, no,” Therese groaned, closing her eyes. “How humiliating. I ruined everything.”

“Not really,” Carol whispered, smirking down at the exposure of Therese’s breasts. She purred flirtatiously once the teacher bit her lip over the spilling bodice before pressing it back over her chest.


	28. Can You Be at Canobie?

“Okay girls, are you ready?” Harge asked the moment Greta Harding and Gypsy were escorted out of line by security crew. The mother swore she was going to sue the park for poor service, but nobody- not even her family or boyfriend- took her word for it and relaxed as soon as she was gone off the park’s premises and back to the parking lot with the annoying barking yorkie.

“Mommy’s not coming with us?” Kayla pouted now.

“No, she’s not,” Harge grunted as he lifted up the youngest girl to carry in his arms. “Not so fast, Jessica! We have to stick together!” He called out to the running Jessica and Isobelle, who were both eagerly excited to pick and choose their first ride.

“Dad?” Rindy mumbled beside him.

“What, honey?”

“I hate it here. It’s too hot. I want to go to Grandma and Grandpa’s house.”

“Don’t talk such nonsense. I’ve brought you here to have some fun, and that’s what you’re going to have! Now let’s go find the bathroom so you can put your bathing suit on...”

“Mr. A, I want to go on that ride!” Kayla pointed across the noisy, calliope music playing park to a spinning kiddie ride called the Caterpillar. It had green cart seats that formed a giant caterpillar that spun you around with mechanical roofing sliding up and down. Rindy had been on that ride before and thought it was OK.

“That looks a little advanced for you. You’re too small to ride that, Kayla,” Harge explained. He stopped and stared through his sunglasses at Jessica and Isobelle, who were jumping up and down to go on the Starblaster.

“Girls! No!” Harge shouted. “Come back here so we can find the bathrooms!”

Rindy watched Jessica and Isobelle run back towards them, realizing they had been ignoring her and were both against her.

“She hates me, Daddy,” Rindy spoke loud enough for her father to hear.

“Who?”

“Jessica. And she’s trying to make Isobelle hate me, too.”

“Don’t be so dramatic, Rindy. You always took that trait from your mother.”

Jessica and Isobelle stopped to catch their breath once they were close enough and spoke up to the father earnestly, “Can we go on the Starblaster?”

“Rindy wants to go put her bathing suit on,” Harge told them, shifting Kayla around against his hip. “Then we can go ride on whatever you want...”

“I want the Starblaster!” Kayla outburst, waving her Elsa doll in the air.

Rindy caught Jessica glaring at her. She wanted to get rid of her bathing suit and go die. But she followed her father toward the bathrooms, thinking how much she missed her grandparents and how badly she wanted to finish the Disney Villains jigsaw puzzle she was working on with Grandpa John and help bake apple crumb cake with Grandma Jennifer. 

When she was all done changing into her bathing suit, she had put her shorts back on, but carried her shirt, towel, and underwear, in her arms. Her father purchased a blue mesh Canobie Lake beach tote bag he got from a merchandise stand. He instructed Rindy to put her clothes in the bag.

“It’ll make it easier for you to carry,” he said.

“Can we go on the Starblaster now?!” Jessica whined.

“Yeah!” Isobelle agreed.

“As long as you girls stick together. Let’s all meet back here at 5:00. Then we can decide what we want to eat and check on Greta.”

“I miss Mommy,” Kayla whined. “And Gypsy!”

“Jessica, do you have your watch I gave you? Call my cell if you make it back here before we do.”

“Yup, yup!” Jessica flashed her purple FitBit in the air. Rindy still couldn’t believe her daddy bought her one of those. 

Harge nudged for his daughter’s attention. “Are you going to be with your friends, or staying with me?” he reached to take his daughter’s tote bag.

 _Friends? What friends?_ “Them,” Rindy spoke morosely.

Jessica rolled her eyes and pulled Isobelle close like they were partners for a school science project. Rindy felt a deep ache in her throat. She hurried off to go follow the other girls that were leaving now.

Rindy ended up going on the Starblaster alone with a mother and her son, while Jessica and Isobelle both shared a four-seater with a much older boy and girl with tattoos all over their arms and legs. The ride operator pushed a button to make everything move. Rindy’s stomach lurched as she felt all the weight from her body vanish as she, the mother and the son, rose a good 80 feet in the air before falling back down.

“That was awesome!” Isobelle giggled, holding onto Rindy when they got off, while Jessica was trying to think of the next ride to go on.

“We should go on the Turkish Twist!” she exclaimed.

“No, that one’s scary,” Isobelle shuddered. “My cousin says that the floor disappears and you’re stuck like glue! You can’t move!”

“How about the Boston Tea Party? If you stand at a certain spot, you get splashed,” Rindy suggested. 

“Izzy and I didn’t bring our bathing suits like you did,” Jessica scowled. “I don’t want to get my watch wet!”

“I don’t mind the water, I’ll go with you, Rindy,” Isobelle spoke softly.

“That’s a stupid ride,” Jessica insisted. “Let’s go on the Pirate Ship!”

“Okay,” Isobelle shrugged. 

Rindy sulked as she followed the girls to go wait in line at the swinging pendulum pirate boat. She ignored the beads of sweat perspiring her temples from the scorching hot afternoon sun and the sounds of the cheerful excitement from the crowd of people getting drenched by giant waves of water over by one of her favorite amusement park rides.


	29. A Medieval Summer Dream

At the Arts & Crafts station area, Carol had cut out and made a paper origami fortune teller on top of a wooden barrel. Therese had been instructed to sit still on a folding chair, getting her face painted. She had chosen to wear a different dress, a burgundy and black one with an adjustable lace cord bodice, full length skirt, and a waist length, long sleeve white chemise. Humiliated by her fainting spell, Carol reassured her that everything was going to be all right for them, and that their renaissance trip wasn't over. She encouraged her daughter’s summer school teacher to try on a second dress. Therese did, and was a little more calmer and relaxed now. She was busy getting her left cheek painted of a green frog prince with pink lips and a gold crown.

Carol slid her fingers into the paper slits of the origami and practiced pulling the folded flaps open and close before she leaned closer to hold it in front of Therese.

The princess that was painting her cheek, stopped the brush in mid-air to let Therese look down at the paper game and pick a number.

“Four,” Therese recited. 

Carol pulled and stretched the origami four times to the same selection of numbers.

“Two,” Therese decided. She pointed to a red flap after Carol pulled and yanked on the origami twice. She watched the mother flip open the flap and read out loudly,

“You’ll be granted 3 kisses!”

Therese couldn’t wait. She sat still for the remainder of her time getting her face painted. When the princess was all done, she pulled out a mirror from her makeup bag and held it out for the girl to see. 

“Cute,” Therese complimented. “I love it, thank you.”

They left soon after that and were just in time to watch the jousting match between the two, armored horsemen.

Therese had bought them some caramel candy apples and picked a spot to watch the medieval sport under a tree. Carol bit into the caramelized Granny Smith on a stick and scooted herself closer to the teacher on the grass while they watched armored knights ride back and forth along an open field with the setting sun falling behind them with the sky turning pale pink.

Applause rose from a small crowd of people on a set of bleachers as soon as the first rider fell off his horse with a metal clankering thud on the ground. The second rider pumped his fist high in the air with victory just before receivng a quick salute by The Queen herself. 

At that moment, Carol steered Therese’s chin towards her mouth and kissed her three times on the lips. 

“Your three kisses, M’lady,” she whispered. 

Therese abruptly grabbed ahold of Carol’s face and kissed her hungrily under the tree, making the hat with the ostrich plume she wore fall right off her blonde head. 

As they were heading back towards the car in their normal, everyday clothes, Carol pulled her phone out of her shorts’ pocket to check to see if she got any voice or text messages from Rindy.

Nope.

Nada.

“Rindy’s probably having the best day of her life,” Carol chuckled, once she and Therese had closed themselves inside the Jazz Honda with the cicadas and crickets serenading outside in harmony. Nighttime had approached them with a velvety blanket full of shiny, twinkly stars. Therese twisted around and grabbed her seat belt to clip over her achy stomach filled with salted caramel and foamy vanilla butter cream soda. 

“I know I’m having one,” Therese murmured, feeling her heart pound deep in her chest the moment Carol was closing in on them for another kiss above the driver console.


	30. Summer Sickness

**Good morning! I can’t stop thnking abt u!**

Carol grinned down at the text message Miss Belivet just sent her. Picking her phone up, she replied back:

**Same, honey. I had a gr8t time!**

Pressing send and letting her phone drop lightly beside her, Carol reached up behind her head and grabbed her spare cool crisp pillow to snuggle it close to her chin as she laid there on her side of the queen-size mattress bed. The two women finally exchanged numbers last night when Carol dropped Therese back off to her own car that was left in the school parking lot. Now, the next day, around 7:34 am, Carol slept later than usual to wake up and find her phone belting out Stevie Nicks.

Rindy entered her mother’s bedroom wearing her blue Frozen’s Olaf pajamas. She was surprised to find Carol still in bed and not in the kitchen preparing breakfast or making her snacks to put inside her lunchbox. Her mother was probably sick. Sick of what? Well, if that was true, so was she. Rindy didn’t want to go to her summer school class today. She didn’t want to see the likes of Jessica, or Cooper. Not even the obnoxious Chen Lee.

“Heyy, bugaboo,” Carol spoke up with her voice still low and groggily from deep sleep. “You should be getting dressed-”

“I don’t feel so good, Mommy,” Rindy quickly cut off. 

Carol reached her hand out to cup her daughter’s forehead to feel her temperature. Her light brown bangs felt cool and normal against her touch.

“You’re not running a fever,” Carol sighed. Instead of arguing (she’s was in no mood) she switched to a different topic. “How was Canobie with your father yesterday? You got home so late and were too tired to tell me anything last night.”

“Fun,” Rindy mumbled. “I went on a lot of rides...”

“Yeah?” Carol smiled, watching Rindy peer down at her cell phone. 

“Is that Miss B’s name?”

Carol scrambled to pick her phone up and got out of the messaging wall. “Y-yeah. We were just texting each other good morning...”

Rindy didn’t think anything of it. She really didn’t want to go on her second to last day of summer school.

“Please don’t make me go to class today,” the little girl whined.

“If you’re not feeling good, I won’t make you go anywhere,” Carol gave in. “I’ll just have to let Miss B know, okay?”

Rindy bobbled her head up and down before shuffling away. Carol waited for a few seconds before returning back to the messages to send Therese another whole new one:

**Rindy’s not feeling well. Won’t be in class today... :(**

She sent the text and stared blankly up at the ceiling. 

Within seconds, Therese messaged her back a reply:

**Aw, sry... Poor thing :( Hope she gets well soon**

Smiling weakly, Carol thanked her and put her phone down before rolling around to lay on her other side. If Rindy was sick today, that meant no school. _And no school meant no Miss B._

**xxxx**

The day went on its normal, average routine. Carol spent the hours cleaning the house - mopping the kitchen floor, vacuuming and shampooing all the rugs and upstairs carpet, doing laundry, scrubbing both the toilet and bathtub. She even did a bit of yard work outside - weeding and planting new flowers she bought at the garden shop. The whole time she was thinking about her daughter’s summer school teacher and the next time they would see each other. Every now and then, Carol would check on Rindy, who would be laying on the couch watching Cartoon Network, or be in her room playing with her toys. It seemed her poor health was making a fast recovery as the hours rolled by. Carol didn’t want to feel skeptical about the truth of Rindy being sick. Instead, she left her garden in the backyard to go upstairs to play with her child like she had always done years and years before.

“ _You’re under arrest for stealing, Miss Ashley!_ ” Rindy used her best impersonation of a police officer. She was sitting on the floor in her bedroom beside her mother, holding one of her Ken dolls dressed up in a blue cop uniform. She made the Ken police officer hop towards Carol’s Barbie doll - Ashley - and made a fatal swipe at her.

Carol let out a high, girlish gasp and moved her Barbie back a ways. “ _I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about, Officer! I didn’t steal at all!_ ”

“ _You stole the clothes! That’s against the law!_ ” Rindy’s Ken officer growled. 

Carol lifted both her Barbie’s plastic, jointed arms up and made the stiff hands cover her wide, unblinking blue eyes. “ _I just love shopping so much!_ ” the mother sniffled, using her best teenage girl voice. “ _Please don’t send me to jail! My mother will hate me!_ ” then she began to let out a pathetic crying fit.

Rindy grabbed the miniature toy handcuffs next to the plastic pink Barbie hairbrush and made the Ken Officer handcuff Ashley the Barbie doll. “ _You should know better next time, Miss Ashley!_ ” she whacked her mother’s Barbie out of her hands.

“Is that how police officers arrest people?” Carol laughed, back to using her regular voice. 

“Yeah,” Rindy answered, smiling. She watched her mother pick up another Barbie and finger comb her hair. 

“Are you feeling any better, sweetheart?” 

Rindy nodded, avoiding her mother’s gaze.

“Shall we have grape tomatoes with macaroni & cheese for lunch?” Carol questioned brightly.

“Okay,” Rindy mumbled, reaching over to grab her plastic Barbie horse. She was quiet for a long minute before asking, 

“Can I get a Fitbit watch for my birthday? Daddy got Jessica one.”

Carol snorted. “Well that was mighty of him,” her voice dripped with sarcasm. “What’s a nine-year-old gonna do with a fancy, high tech watch?”

“I don’t know,” Rindy shrugged. “It can tell you how many steps you walk and you can also download apps for games!”

“You’ll lose it,” Carol told her. “Or get it wet. Or _stolen_...” she playfully shook the Barbie doll in Rindy’s face to make her laugh. When her daughter did not and pouted, Carol sighed, shaking her head. “You don’t need a Fitbit, honey. Watches are suppose to tell you the time and that’s it!”

Rindy didn't speak now. The discussion was over. She was not going to get a Fitbit watch for her birthday. She was probably going to get more clothes and more toys instead. 

“I’m too old to play with Barbie dolls,” she spoke out loud now.

“Did Jessica tell you that?” Carol demanded. She was truly getting sick of this spoiled brat Harding girl.

“No, just me.” Rindy made the plastic horse slowly clop along her mother’s foot past her ankle.

Hearing this coming out of her child really scared Carol and put herself through denial. 

“You’re not too old, honey. Don’t be silly. Now let’s take a break from this and go eat.”


	31. Last Day

Rindy was seated beside her mother on the bus with the rest of her summer school classmates and their parents. Miss Belivet had arranged them to go on a field trip to the beach for the last day. She was sitting by herself behind the bus driver, reading a book online through her Kindle. Rindy had the sudden desire to get up and go sit with her.

“ _Ninety-one bottles of soda on the wall! Ninety-one bottles of soda! Take one down, pass it around..._ ” sang most of the families during the ride through the winding highway road. Rindy could hear both Cooper’s and Xavier’s voices screeching at the top of their lungs. She took a glimpse over to see Jessica Harding wearing a huge set of headphones scrolling through her iPod Nano next to a bored-looking man in a Popeye T-shirt and navy blue shorts. Rindy figured that the grownup was her actual father, Adrian Harding. He had the same hazel colored eyes like Jessica’s. Rindy wondered if Mr. Harding knew anything about his wife’s affair with her father. 

Carol nudged her arm to wake her up from her thoughts. “Come on, sweetheart. Sing...”

“No way,” Rindy muttered.

“You know this song,” Carol grinned.

“I thought it was beer, not soda,” Rindy said.

“Beer is not appropriate,” Carol sighed.

Rindy turned her head around to look out the window and watch all the trees and route exit billboards passing by. Her mother pulled her cell phone out of her rainbow canvas bag on her lap and started to text.

“Are you texting Miss B?” Rindy heard herself ask.

“I’m texting Abby. Her cat had kittens,” Carol informed her. “Maybe if you’re good today, we can go over to her house tonight and see them. We could even pick one out together and-”

“Oh please, Mommy! Can we? I want one! I really want a kitten!” Rindy threw her arms around Carol, hugging her tight and squealing. Carol tossed up a few of her daughter’s long, dark locks and kissed her on the forehead.

“Let’s get through the day first and have fun at the beach,” Carol answered. 

Rindy grinned from ear-to-ear. She couldn’t wait to tell Isobelle. Maybe even brag to Jessica about her new pet...


	32. Beach

The school bus rolled to a stop at the beach’s sandy parking lot and parked along a line of rocks. A loud hissing noise came and went with the fiberglass doors folding open. Miss Belivet stepped in front of the aisle to go over the day’s routine.

“Okay everybody, here we are,” she began. “Parents, I want to thank you again for coming to our Beach Day, and help chaperoning. We can first head over to the bathrooms, for those who need to change into their swimsuit or use the toilet. Then we can make our way over to the beach and settle in. There’s plenty of food venues and restaurants to go check out and buy something to eat. Today’s going to be very, very hot, so I advise all of you to drink water and wear some sunscreen...” she paused and smiled the minute she caught Carol winking at her. She shyly gazed away and quickly descended off the bus.

Parents and students began to file out of the bus with Rindy following her mother out from their own vinyl leather seat through the long, narrow aisle, entering outside to the bright, warm sunshine with the rainbow canvas bag slung over Carol’s arm and their blue-and-green sea turtle towel rolled up and tucked in the other. The sun’s heat fell directly on Rindy with the heavy aroma of the ocean’s saltwatery air.

“Isobelle! Guess what?” she ran right over to the bowl-haircut shaped girl that stood beside her own mother, Charlene McGilly.

“Yeah? What?”

“My mom’s going to get me a new kitten later today!”

“Aww! I want one! I want a kitten!”

“Isobelle, you’re allergic to cats,” Mrs. McGilly informed. 

“Rindy- Come over here so I can spray some sunblock on you!” Carol spoke up now, pulling the metal can out from her bag. Rindy hurried back over once her mother stepped in front of her in the parking lot wearing her Aviator pair of sunglasses and pink floppy hat. Rindy stretched her arms out and closed her eyes the minute her mother squirted sunscreen all over her arms and legs.

“Don't forget your neck, ears, and face,” Carol instructed.

Rindy did just that.

Miss Belivet came towards them now with her own forest green NorthFace backpack, white Coach pair of sunglasses, and black-purple sports swimsuit underneath a dark brown cloth linen sundress and strapped sandal shoes. “Hi girls,” she greeted her favorite mother and daughter. “Mind if I walk with you?”

Carol mocked her that got her smiling. Rindy practically threw herself in the teacher’s arms. “I’ll be getting a new kitten soon, Miss B!” she declared. 

“That’s so exciting, Rindy, what are you going to name it?” She held onto the girl, sweeping parts of her hair back.

“I don’t know yet, I want to see them first!” Rindy spoke sharply.

Miss B peered up to find Carol holding the spray can of sunscreen out. The teacher blushed and mumbled that she already had put some on. Rindy chirped that everybody was already leaving for the bathrooms. She tugged and pulled for Therese to move her feet. She released her and ran ahead through the parking lot to catch up to the other students and parents with a cool breeze of wind blowing out her red polka headscarf.

**xxxx**

After a quick trip to the bathrooms, the small group of students and parents settled a spot on the beach. Therese helped Carol lay out the huge sea turtle towel on dry sand and sat down next to her near the other parents and their belongings. Both of Cooper’s father -Warren O’Dell- and Xavier’s- Alonso Velasquez- walked towards the water and talked amongst themselves where both their sons raced each other in their swimming trunks. Chen Lee’s parents had brought their own inflatable tube and hammershark and encouraged their middle son to play safe in the water and keep his head above the waves. Jared Foley’s mother, Janelle, laid back on a beach towel to tan with her son leaving to go into the water. Isobelle and Rindy were standing beside Jessica, listening to her shout at Mr. Harding about something pointless, while Izzy’s mother, Charlene, pulled out a Nicholas Sparks novel to read. Jessica stormed off barefoot in her Hawaiian bathing suit while her father stood behind and reached for his pack of cigarettes from his shorts’ pocket. Rindy, in her blue Frozen one-piece, and Isobelle in her pink-purple Shopkins two-piece, both hurried after the Harding girl like two baby chicks.

Carol watched the three girls heading towards the water through her pair of sunglasses with a look of dismay. “I really despise that Harding girl. I hate how Rindy follows her around like she’s some sort of goddess,” she spoke now.

Therese didn’t say anything, but stared out towards the ocean, watching the girls all dip their feet in the water before reeling themselves back, shrieking, on the muddy wet sand. She saw Chen Lee collapse on top of his large inflatable hammershark pool float a few feet beside them, unfazed, while Jared Foley came towards him from behind, plugging his nose.

“I mean, did you not hear the way Jessica was yelling at Adrian over there? Look at him. Smoking like an overgrown chimney,” Carol snorted. “Poor man is probably still the last person to know about Greta’s adultery.”

“He married her, after all,” Therese finally said out loud. She then gathered up a clump of hot sand in her hand and spilled it into a small hill beside her foot.

“Yeah,” Carol agreed with a snort. Her fingers tiptoed across the towel and squeezed Therese’s wrist. “This was a lovely idea, Therese. Thank you.”

Miss B lowered her eyes upon their touch on the beach and held her breath. How badly she wanted to kiss Carol right then right now...


	33. Shark Tag

Rindy screamed loudly along with Isobelle and Jessica dodging a wave rolling towards her way. She leaped backwards to prevent any bubbly foam from sliding across and touching the tips of her feet. The water had become some kind of magnet that drew all three of the girls to step forward again. Jessica bent over and violently splashed water everywhere. Rindy pulled away, giggling, and found herself sharing the good news.

“I’m getting a new kitten, Jessica,” she announced.

“When?”

“After the beach day!” Rindy grinned and playfully splashed water back towards Jessica, who stared at her in return with a hard expression on her face.

“Cats are so cute,” Isobelle said. “I wish that I wasn’t allergic to them!”

“Dogs are better,” Jessica replied matter-of-fact. She had ruptured and dismissed the kitten news with a sheepish shrug and moved on.

Rindy’s excitement fizzled out like a sparkler. She started to grow irritated with Jessica. “Your sister still has my Elsa doll,” she spoke sharply. “I want her back!”

“Kayla gave it to your dad when we got home from Canobie,” Jessica shot back. “It’s not my fault he lost it!”

“Don’t say that! He didn’t lose Elsa!”

“Yeah, he probably did, you dumb baby!”

“You are!”

Jessica flung water at her.

Rindy angrily hurled some back.

“Stop fighting you guys,” Isobelle whined. She stood behind them ankle deep with droplets of water speckled all over her glasses. “Why can’t we just be friends again?”

A loud, obnoxious noise disrupted all three of the girls. Rindy glanced over and saw both Cooper and Xavier pushing Jared along the water, who comfortably laid on his back on top of Chen Lee’s rubber inner tube. Chen paddled towards them on his inflatable hammershark.

“Girls are the worst!” Xavier outburst, making Cooper laugh hysterically. He had even managed to spread a grin on Jared’s almond colored face.

“Shut up, Xavier!” Jessica shouted.

“Uh oh. You swore,” Chen Lee accused. “That’s a bad, bad word!”

“We should go tell on you,” Xavier agreed.

“Jess-sick-ah,” Cooper sneered. 

A few more laughs from the boys.

Jessica fumed. “ _Don’t call me that!_ ”

Cooper now swam up to Rindy and blew bubbles with his mouth. Although she was too young to realize it, the boy was trying to impress her. 

“Wanna play Shark Tag with us?” he asked her, lifting his chin up for some air.

“Okay,” Rindy said with uncertainty. 

“NOT IT!” everybody shouted in unison.

Rindy saw that all six of her summer classmates were touching their nose. She slowly laid a finger on her own.

“You’re the Shark! Rindy’s the Shark!” Cooper declared. He yelped out with fright and began to swim away along with the others; shrieking with utter excitement. 

Rindy curled her upper lip and soon became _The Shark_. She dove headfirst into the water before pulling out to the water’s surface with her hair dripping wet hanging over her face. She swiped parts of it that stuck up around her forehead, kicking water and paddling over towards Xavier, who was laughing back at her; wagging his tongue out.

“Come and get me Shark!” he hollered, swinging his arm out to make a small tidal wave. He kept splashing her until she gave up on him and went to go for another victim.

Chen Lee tried to steer himself on his float, but the weight of his belly decreased his speed drastically, which gave Rindy a better chance to tag him. The Korean boy screeched like a piglet the moment Rindy tackled him and knocked him off his float.

“You’re the Shark!” she cried out loud, overjoyed, with half of her body bobbling up and down in the water. “Chen Lee’s the Shark!”

Chen resurfaced with his arm holding onto the float. He coughed out saltwater that was dribbling down his chin and spreaded his arms wide out. 

“GRRRRAAAAHHHH!” 

Rindy, giggling, backed away from him as far as she could with her hands and feet underwater. She accidentally bumped into Cooper, who playfully grabbed her from behind, throwing all of his bodyweight on top of her.

Rindy sank underwater. She could hear the blurry laughter and shouts coming from the surface. She was not prepared for this. She jerked and squirmed below, frantically reaching for air. Her lungs were swelling up and burning with gallons and gallons of saltwater. Cooper had been pressing his hands on top of her head, holding her down. After a shout from his father to let go, he released her and giggled nervously.

Rindy shot back up the water’s surface, gagging and coughing. With her eyes closed shut tight, she could hear everybody shouting and talking all at once. The game was over for her. She no longer wanted to play anymore. She was frightened over the thought of almost drowning to death. 

“My gosh! You okay, Rindy?” Isobelle cried, alarmed. 

“I was only kidding!” Cooper yelled to his father.

“Not so rough, Cooper, or you're out for the rest of the day!” Mr. O’Dell yelled back to him onshore. 

Isobelle swam over towards Rindy and peered right up close to her face, who just kept hugging and squeezing her shivering, goose-pimply arms, completely traumatized and mute.

“Rindy? You okay?”

Jessica couldn’t stop smiling.


End file.
